THE Fanfiction
by Greenbank Girls
Summary: Harry Potter and the Series of Unfortunate Legends of Drizzt- AKA The Fanfiction to End All Fanfictions.
1. Foreword & Introductions

**Harry Potter and the Series of Unfortunate legends of Drizzt**

_**Or Else: A Series of Unfortunate legends of Drizzt including Harry Potter, Duskwing, Nancy Drew, Tintin, Garfield and Endimyon Spring and the Seven Shattered Twilight Abhorsens at Icemark during the invasion of Warriors and a couple of Star Wars, as well as Jonathan Strange inside a Mango-Shaped Space with an Irish Chain.**_

_**Or Else: Why Different Stories should Never, Under any Circumstances, be Combined by a Group of High-School Girls for their own Personal Amusement.**_

**Foreword:**

This novel is a conjoined effort- four teenage girls, each with vastly different writing styles, have worked together over the course of thirteen months to bring to you this more-than-slightly-pointless crossover: the fanfiction to end all fanfictions.

Whether you are a loyal fanpire from the Twilight cult, or a devout Harry Potter Trivia geek, or a cover-to-cover reader of Lemony Snicket's failure of a final book, or a Star Wars addict, or… pretty much a fan of any book, actually- then this is the story for you.

If you've ever wondered what happens when characters that were never meant to meet are thrown together, read on. If not- read on anyways.

We'll make it worth your while.

Not-that-sincerely,

Danji (dream_in_shadow,) Rachacha (Darth Elle,) Thistle (CrimsonTearsXDeidara,) and Sophie (Foam Weber)

P.S: We do not own any of the characters or settings used in this story.

**Introductions**

_We had to start SOMEHOW…_

**A Mango-Shaped Space**

_Mia's Intro:_

"I don't _want_ to go to Forks!" shouted Mia, slamming the door behind her. She was furious at having been forced into it; ever since she had re-gained her synthesia after the death of Mango, her parents had become more and more distant. Now they were making her go to Forks to live with some relative or another named Tintin. Who would want to go live with someone with a name like _Tintin?_

But the arrangements had quickly been made, and it was already the night before the short flight. She was doing _that_ alone as well. Furious, Mia buried her face in the pillow and turned on her radio, tuning in to a soft classical music station. Normally, the music- and the beautiful colours that resulted from it- would soothe Mia, but tonight, she could barely see the colours past her own red rage.

**Sevens:**

_Meena, Peter, Jane, Jeremy, and Danny's Intro:_

Meena stared out the window at the uninspiring landscape, depression sinking over her. She could not understand why she was feeling like this; after all, she, Jane, Peter, Danny, and Jeremy were going to New York to celebrate graduating high school, Steven was locked away, and the bus had air-conditioning. What reason could she have for feeling depressed?

Peter, sitting at the very back of the bus, was in no better a mood. His wheelchair was strapped in place, and in addition to being forced to sit far away from his friends, he had to endure pitying stares from the rest of the passengers. He reached over into his chair's side pocket to retrieve a book, when suddenly...

BANG- Whoosh!

Jane looked up in time to see the entire front end of the bus disintegrate as flames shot towards her. With a cry of sheer terror, she threw herself to the ground. She felt the heat burning the back of her neck, then... nothing.

Jeremy threw himself down next to Jane, his brain working frantically. What had happened? How would they get out? What had become of the others? Then something heavy struck him, and he lost consciousness.

Danny was thrown clear of the bus by the explosion, ploughing into the ground a good twenty feet away. He saw Meena a short distance from him. She wasn't moving. Heart racing, he glanced back and saw the bus in flames. Shouting, he got up and began to run away from the potential explosion.

There were screams, but they quickly became silenced.

**Twilight**

_Alice, Bella, and Edward_

"Bella, love, it's okay- you don't have to go if you don't want to." Edward's voice was as smooth as silk.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You know how much Alice enjoys these shopping trips."

Edward smoothed Bella's hair out with the palm of his hand, soothing her. "I'll only be gone hunting for one afternoon. Then I'll be back, and we can be alone together."

Bella nodded, opened Edward's bedroom door, and headed into the hallway. Edward followed her, completely and utterly silent. As usual.

"Bella, are you ready to go?" Alice's melodic voice travelled up the stairs.

"Yeah." Bella forced a smile onto her face and kissed Edward goodbye. "See you tonight."

Edward waved goodbye as Alice dragged Bella out of the front door.

"Port Angeles, here we come." Alice grinned, her eyes shining with happiness.

**Tintin**

_Tintin and Milou's Intro:_

C'était un jour triste et malheureux. Le silence était partout, seulement brisé par le son du vent.... Then, the story switched to English, and everybody felt a lot better. Tintin was sitting at the breakfast table with Milou, wondering why everything was suddenly in English, when the mail came in.

"Bill, bill, bill..." Tintin muttered under his breath, searching through the letters.

"Oh look, a letter from the Winchells." Tintin tore it open.

_Dear Tintin,_

_Our daughter Mia is coming to stay with you. We hope you don't mind. She should arrive at your house in six days._

Tintin checked the date on the letter. It was dated six days ago. Great. Tintin pushed it to the back of his mind, and went back to wondering why everything was now in English.

**Warriors:**

_General Cat's Intro:_

Firestar padded silently through the forest, focused on the prey in front of him. Fresh-kill was abundant this new-leaf, but the clan was larger than ever. He crouched, then pounced on the mouse. He was about to pick it up to return to camp when a familiar scent crossed his path. Spottedleaf! Firestar looked around eagerly.

"Spottedleaf?" He asked when he couldn't see her.

"_Firestar...... I have a message from Starclan....grave danger is approaching. Beware the one with red hair...._" her soft voice seemed to come from all around him. Now confused, Firestar picked up his fresh-kill and headed back to his clan.

**Sevens:**

_Danny's Intro continued:_

Danny, the only passenger who was not dead or unconscious, stood up shakily. He went over to Meena and examined her. Seeing no clear damage, he left her on the road and ran towards the bus. "Jeremy? Peter? Jane?" he called. "Anyone?" He looked around for help, but the road was deserted. However, he could see a village in the distance. He glanced at the bus. The flames had gone out, but he could not help the survivors by himself. Torn between wanting to see how the rest had fared and the more sensible option of finding others to help, he felt around in his pocket, retrieved his medication, swallowed a few pills to calm himself, and began sprinting towards the village.

**Star Wars:**

_Darth Vader's Intro:_

Darth Vader awoke with a start. He looked around sleepily. _This ... _he started. Then stopped. "You! Over there!" he shouted at the nearest Stormtrooper.

"Me?" the young man asked quietly.

"Yeah, you!" he said. Lowering his voice a notch, he asked "What's this thing called again?"

"What thing?" the Stormtrooper replied, confused.

"You know, this big thing that flies, with the lasers..." Darth Vader made laser sounds to emphasize.

"You mean the Ultimate Good Destroyer?" the Stormtrooper asked.

"Yeah, that." Darth Vader paused and continued his musing. _This Ultimate Good Destroyer was such a good idea. Of course, all the good ideas come from me. Those lowly white-suits don't seem to understand the effort it takes to come up with good ideas..._

He kept on thinking about how amazing he was until he fell asleep once more.

**Twilight**

_Jacob_

Jacob ran through the forest, feeling the wind blow in his face and the trees brush against his fur. He sighed in contentment. Although the sky was- as usual- covered in dense grey clouds, the air was warm with the promise of summer. The morning dew that had collected on the ground glistened. The birds sang. Everything seemed to be quite peaceful in Jacob's mind.

Well, at least for a few moments.

_Jacob! _A strong, confident voice penetrated Jacob's thoughts. _I have a favour to ask of you!_

_Huh? _Jacob was startled by this sudden demand. He wasn't sure who had just called to him. It wasn't any of his friends, or anyone that he knew.

_It's me- Professor Lupin_.The voice answered. _I am a friend of the council's. I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. The last time I saw you, Jacob, you were a little boy._

_Um... Okay_.There was an awkward pause. _So what's this favour that you want to "ask of me?"_

_I used to teach at a certain school, and I am friends with the headmaster. He tells me that some of his students are coming to Forks for a… school trip, and was wondering if you would do us a favour by being their tour guide of Forks for the time that the students are here. _Professor Lupin's voice had acquired a slight pleading edge.

Jacob rolled his eyes. Great. He was going to have to be a babysitter.

_They're all around your age. _Professor Lupin clarified.

_Okay... Fine._ Jacob sighed.

_Great! _Professor Lupin's voice was full of enthusiasm. _They'll arrive in around a day. Have fun, Jacob!_

_Sure._ Jacob turned around and headed off in the direction of The Quileute Reserve.

**Legend of Drizzt:**

_Wulfgar, Cattie-Brie, and Drizzt's Intro_

Wulfgar and Cattie-Brie sat in Lady Alustriel's palace, making arrangements for their upcoming wedding. They were bickering about what to wear on their special day when Drizzt walked into the room. Drizzt always seemed to be around nowadays and neither Cattie-Brie nor Wulfgar could think of a way to get rid of him without ruining the surprise. For some obscure reason Wulfgar wanted to keep the wedding a surprise until the week before, as was the custom of his tribe. Cattie-Brie thought that was the just plain stupid, how were they supposed to keep such a huge affair a secret. Bruenor, Cattie-brie's "Father," had already made thousands of sloppy wedding invitations- really, dwarves just aren't meant to do arts and crafts- for every single person they knew, and then some. These invitations, along with all their wedding decorations, had all been hidden in one of Lady Alustriel's closets, which were the size of any normal house. Thanks to Wulfgar's insistence on keeping tradition, Drizzt remained oblivious to the wedding.

**Garfield:**

_Garfield's Intro:_

"Breakfast, Garfield!" Jon called. Groaning, Garfield slowly got out of his bed. It promptly fell over on top of him.

_Darn Mondays,_ he grumbled, his voice muffled. He struggled out from under his bed, and finally made it to breakfast.

"Oh, and, by the way Garfield-" Jon paused to make sure that Garfield was listening,

"You're going to have to be out of the house today for a while. I have a date." He smiled proudly.

_What?_ Garfield was shocked. _Outside, on a Monday?_

"What's the worst that could happen?" Jon asked, chuckling.

**A Series of Unfortunate Events:**

_Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and Count Olaf's Intro:_

"_There are some words, of course, that are better left unsaid- but not, I believe, the word uttered by my niece, a word which here means that the story is over._

Beatrice_."_

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, _that's_ finally over," said Violet. "Now what?"

"Find sugar bowl," said Sunny.

"Yes," agreed Klaus. "That idiot Lemony Snicket didn't let us solve_ anything_ during our first two years as orphans- maybe now we can finally get something done."

"Grebati!" shrieked Beatrice. Sunny picked her up. "Food later," she told the baby.

"No, let's eat now," said Klaus. "We can celebrate the beginning of the end!"

"But that makes no sense," said Violet. "We'd cease to exist if nobody were to write about us, and Lemony Snicket gave up. So who would take up our story again?"

"Dunno," said Sunny. "Hope they not bad as Lemony"

The four orphans were silent as they wondered what their new writer was like. They got an unfortunate idea of the writer's personality as they heard a shout from behind them.

"Orphans!" cried someone. The three Baudelaires turned, and even Beatrice shot a sidelong glance at the man chasing their boat in his own raft.

"No way!" cried Sunny. For Count Olaf, looking as greasy and malicious as ever, had caught up to them.

"You died!" cried Violet. "Why are you alive again?"

Count Olaf gave them a wicked grin. "The rules have changed, Baudebrats."

He leapt aboard. The other passengers of the boat saw that he had his old red harpoon gun with him, and had loaded it, not with metal hooks, but...

"Bones," said Klaus faintly. "You used Kit's bones as hooks."

Beatrice began to cry.

"Poetic justice, isn't it?" said Olaf. He levelled the harpoon gun at the infant and, before the other orphans could do anything, had pulled the trigger.

"Welcome aboard," said Olaf. "Now paddle that way- we're off to find the sugar bowl."

The Baudelaires looked at each other, stricken tears filling their eyes. They had complained about Lemony Snicket's vague, inconclusive style, but this writer's style seemed to be much, much worse.

**Twilight**

_Alice and Bella_

Bella tapped her fingers against the hard, smooth surface of the dashboard, anticipating the moment that this shopping trip would be over. Alice was driving along one of the main streets in Port Angeles, eyeing the stores as they flew by at an incredible speed.  
"Oh, no!" Alice cried, her face crumpling in disappointment. "Why today?"  
"What's wrong?" Bella was startled out of her daydreams, alarm in her voice. "Did you see something?"  
"They closed my favourite little boutique early today." Alice groaned, shaking her head in dismay. "I really wanted to take you there. They have the nicest dresses, perfect for social gatherings. It would have been so fun!"  
"It's okay, Alice, really." Bella patted Alice's shoulder sympathetically, trying to contain a smile. "We can go some other time."  
"I suppose," Alice grumbled, her mood slightly less cheerful then before. But then her face lit up, an idea occurring to her. She swung the car around , heading back towards Forks.  
"Where are we going?" demanded Bella, startled by the sudden decision. "Are we leaving?"  
"Don't worry, we'll be right back." Alice chirped. "I just remembered that I have a key to that store which I acquired a few years ago. It's at my house."  
Bella rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the side of the car, wondering why Alice didn't just _break_ into the store.

**Nancy Drew**

_Nancy Drew_

Nancy Drew looked around the small room- her new apartment. It had looked big without any furniture, but now, with her bed, wardrobe, vanity mirror, desk, and bookshelf, her bedroom was a little smaller then she had expected. And really- _who _these days had closets that size? Only half of her clothes would fit!

Nancy sighed and got to work organizing her things.

**Star Wars**

_Darth Vader_

Darth Vader woke up again, but this time to a loud, annoying noise. _Beep, beep, beep... _The alarm!

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?!" Darth Vader shouted.

"Something's wrong! This ship is going to explode!" answered the Stormtrooper.

Darth Vader sighed. Why do his cool inventions _always_ blow up?

"Well I'm going to escape now. Nice knowing you White-suit!" And Darth Vader ran to the escape pods. He escaped just as his Ultimate Good Destroyer blew up. He sighed again and looked down at the radar. He was within range of Earth. Although it must be the single most boring planet in the entire universe, it_ was_ quite close. So Darth Vader set the coordinates and sat back to wait.

**Tintin **

_Haddock's Intro:_

C'était un jour triste et malheureux. Le silence était partout, seulement brisé par le son du vent.... Then, the story switched to English, and everybody felt a lot better. Capitaine Haddock sat in his favourite armchair, smoking his pipe. He loved his pipe, even though he knew he could it could cause cancer, and it really helped him through these miserable days. But even with his pipe to calm him, as soon as the story switched to English, Capitaine Haddock jumped up from his armchair, trying to think of an English expletive he could use to convey his surprise. Unable to come up with anything, he settled for "Who's bloody fault is THIS????" and dashed to the room Tintin was in, cursing the best he could.

**Garfield:**

_Jon's Intro:_

The creaking of the door opening caught Jon's attention as he was preparing Garfield's dinner.

"Garfield, you're late for supper. Where have you been? You should have been here an hour ago." Jon said, without turning around. There was no reply. Suddenly, there was a quiet whisper from behind, a flash of green light, and Jon fell to the floor, dead.

**Twilight**

_Jacob_

There. Jacob smoothed out the colourfully patterned quilt in front of him, letting his hands trace the delicate patterns. The beds for the guests were made up, and the spare guest room was clean. Now Jacob could do whatever he wanted for the rest of the afternoon.

What _did_ he want to do?

Jacob quickly thought through his options. His friends were out by the cliffs, diving. Even though it was nice out today, he had decided against joining them. He was not quite in the right mood today. And Bella was probably hanging around those annoying bloodsuckers, enjoying their company.

Jacob sighed. It was back to the forest for him until the students arrived.

**Cry of the Icemark**

_Thirrin, Tharaman-Thar_

"Thirrin, are you _sure_ you want the spell tested on you?" asked Oskan. He was very opposed to his wife being subjected to his and Maggiore's experiment, but she had refused point-blank to allow him to use anyone else.

"Yes," she said, scowling. "Besides, you and Maggie said it was perfectly safe."

"Well, yes but-" said Oskan.

"Just do it," said Thirrin, in a tone that indicated that she would not allow any further negotiation.

Oskan sighed and turned to Maggiore. It had, after all, been his idea to combine modern technology and magic to make a teleportation device.

"Okay, but once we start, there's no turning ba-"

"JUST DO IT!" cried Thirrin.

Oskan steeled himself. "Ready?" he called to Maggiore.

"Yes," he answered.

Maggiore pulled the lever and Oskan began to thread magic into the device. As he had predicted, the spell soon began to take a life of its own- but it would hopefully be constrained by the machine Maggie had built.

"What's that racket?" came a voice from the doorway. Tharaman-Thar, King of the Snow Leopards, had poked his head into the room.

"No! You can't be here when the spell-" began Thirrin.

But she never got a chance to finish.

BANG!!!

The spell hit both Thirrin and Tharaman while the machine exploded into a blazing inferno. Neither Oskan nor Maggie had a chance to protect themselves- they were burned to ash before anyone could move. Now the fire was pelting towards Thirrin and Tharaman, but the teleportation spell had begun to take hold. The first wave of hot air had barely touched the two rulers before they both felt themselves being catapulted through nothingness.

**Harry Potter**

_Harry Potter, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore's Intro :_

It was near midnight, and the Hogwarts Castle was practically silent. Nearly everyone was away for the Summer Break, and the few who remained were sound asleep... all, except for the Headmaster, Dumbledore. He was sitting at his desk, long fingers interlocked, poised as if waiting for something. Soft shadows danced on the walls, and the only light came from the chink of moonlight falling across Dumbledore's face.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Come in," said Dumbledore. A slight boy with jet-black hair slipped in.

"You said you had a mission for me?" said the boy eagerly. "I can't wait! When do I start? I hope it's dangerous! Can I-"

"Shh!" interrupted Dumbledore. "Harry, you are completely ruining the scene! Didn't you read the lovely paragraph I put up about how silent and eerie the castle was?"

Harry's face fell. "Sorry, Professor."

"Ah well, no harm done. Now, about your mission... I want you, Ron, and Hermione to go to Forks. There seems to be an inordinate amount of unintentionally cast under-age magic originating from there."

Harry looked disappointed. "That's it? Go and recruit students?"

Dumbledore nodded. Harry sighed and got up. Just as he reached the door, Dumbledore said: "And Harry... Professor Trelawney has made another prophecy."

Harry turned around, more interested. "What?" he asked eagerly. "About me, no doubt."

Dumbledore shrugged. "I do not think it was real. '_Everyone will die_.' I mean, how bona fide could something like _that_ be?"

***


	2. The Beginning: Part 1

**The Beginning**

_The stupidity begins._

"Are we there yet?" asked Ron for the umpteenth time.

"N-" began Hermione automatically.

"Yes we are!" cried Harry. "There's that village- what did Dumbledore say it was called? Sporks?"

"Spoon, I think," said Ron.

"No, it was _Forks._ F-O-R-K-S," said Hermione, exasperated.

"Right, that's what I said- Sporks," said Harry.

Hermione buried her face in her hands.

A few minutes later, the trio landed their brooms in a forest close to the city.

***

Danny finally made it to the entrance of the town. He laughed as he thought of what a

sight he must be, clothing reduced to charred tatters and blood all over his face- but then he thought of the others, sprawled helplessly on the ground, and sobered up.

"Help!" he cried. "Somebody, help!"

---

Tintin heard someone crying for help nearby. He got out of his comfortable chair, put Milou's leash on, and dashed out the front door. "What is it?" he called out. Milou muttered to himself about the indignity of being put on a leash.

Danny came to a stop, the words falling out of his mouth in a jumble.

"Busexplodeddowntheroadpeopledeadhelpmeplease"

He gestured feebly, then collapsed, unconscious.

***

Muttering to himself, Garfield walked down the empty street. He didn't have a clue where he was. He was furious at Jon. He was furious at everyone. He hadn't eaten in two hours, he missed Pooky, and he wanted his warm bed. At that moment, the pouring rain started. Great. Garfield ducked into a narrow alley for a bit of shelter. The sound of growling made him turn around. Several dogs were glaring at him, bloodlust in their eyes. Garfield began backing away, arching his back and hissing. There was a sudden cracking noise.

"Why, there you are, Professor McGonagall!" A man in a long dark robe was n front of him. The man picked a very confused Garfield up, spun around in a tight circle, and disappeared with another sharp crack. Darn Mondays.

***

The taxi dropped Mia off in front of a small, clean house. As she got out, she noticed a man with a lick of bright red hair- she assumed this was "Tintin-" standing over an unconscious boy. A small part of her told her the boy wasn't bad-looking, but she decided she didn't want to get involved with someone who got concussions on a regular basis.

She walked towards her new home and introduced herself, trying to keep an open mind.

"Hi- Tintin, right? I'm Mia. Who's this?"

"I'm not completely sure," Tintin replied, staring at the strange boy. "His bus exploded or something...." he trailed off. Who was this girl again? He recognized the name. "Hey- are you the girl that was going to stay at my place? I'm sorry- I completely forgot. Everything turned English, and I was distracted." He turned back to the boy. Picking him up, he flung him over his shoulder and began the walk to the hospital. Milou trailed behind him.

"Wait! Everything_ was _always English!" cried Mia, her voice causing little purple sparks to float in front of her eyes. Tintin ignored her. Sighing, she began to jog after her new guardian.

***

Jacob closed his eyes for a brief moment, savouring the cold breeze as it passed over his shaggy fur. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, just far enough away so that he could be alone, out of reach from civilization. Jacob was extremely grateful that everyone else was in their human form, leaving him to his own thoughts. It was quite tiring listening to everyone else's. Jacob studied the plant life, careful not to assume any sudden movement were harmless. He had to be cautious, especially in unknown territories. Not that he expected any surprises this deep in the forest...

Or did he?

There was a soft rustle in the bushes, and Jacob's eyes widened as he heard a laugh. A girl's laugh.

In an instant Jacob was frantically pulling his jeans on, having transformed back into a human.

***

Harry glared at Hermione, who was laughing at him.

"Hey, I crashed into a tree, it isn't THAT funny," he protested.

Hermione's laugh faded, and she sighed. "Okay, whatever. Let's split up. You can use the old D.A. coins to say if you find anyone using magic, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, she threw the coins at the two boys and strode away into the trees.

***

Firestar tensed. He could hear voices nearby. Were two-legs invading the forest? They would need to find a way to fight back. Thunderclan would not be wiped out like Skyclan had been. Firestar made his way back to his clan to tell them to prepare for battle.

---

Tharaman-Thar opened his eyes and looked around. Where _was_ he? It seemed to be a forest. He got up slowly and prowled through the trees.

---

Muttering darkly to himself, Ron picked his way through the forest. How on earth were they supposed to find their way in _this_? Suddenly, he saw movement, and froze. Out of the trees stepped a massive white leopard. "Aiiiiiiiiie!" screamed Ron. He turned and sprinted away as fast as his long legs could carry him.

Tharaman-Thar followed. "Wait!" he cried. "I need directions! How do I get to Icemark?"

***

Jacob looked around. He had heard someone, very close. A girly giggle. He took a step though the bushes, deciding to investigate. What he saw took him completely by surprise.

A girl. She was so beautiful, so magical. Her long medium brown hair seemed to shimmer, her eyes seemed to sparkle. Jacob took another step towards her, his mouth hanging open. He was floating, not free, but floating- held down by this beautiful stranger.

Hermione didn't even look up at the sound of someone coming into the clearing.

"I suppose you must be the guide Lupin mentioned. Hi."

Then she glanced up. It was a guy. A very muscular, _hot _guy.

"Hi," she repeated slowly, but this time she spoke in a completely different tone.

Jacob just stared. "Yesss..." he said slowly. "Uh, I'm your guide. Yeah..." He blinked, and tried to clear his head. "So... I'll show you to your room... this way."

Hermione felt her heart melt for the mysterious boy. She was momentarily struck by a fantasy of how nice those arms would feel around her, but then blinked and came back to reality. Why would a boy like _him _fall in love with a girl like _her?_  
But he seemed to be looking at her in such a way that she couldn't help but think he felt the same way about her...  
"Shouldn't we find the others..." she began, but her voice trailed of until it was inaudible. He had smiled! At her!  
Hermione cleared her throat. "Room. Right. Lead the way." Her lips felt dry.

***

Violet straightened the sail, stiff with exhaustion. Count Olaf had made them sail all night, and the rising sun was hurting her tired eyes. She glanced over at Klaus, who was holding the compass and directing Sunny, who was, in turn, guiding the tiller. Klaus looked back at his elder sister, and the three of them were forcibly reminded of the night on Lake Lachrymose.

"Faster!" bellowed Count Olaf.

"We can't control the wind!" cried Klaus.

Olaf raised his hand as if to slap Klaus.

"Land ho!" shrieked Sunny.

Olaf lowered his hand, and evil grin spreading across his face. "Excellent," he said.

The three surviving orphans looked at each other, wondering what would happen now.

***

Hermione followed behind Jacob, watching him stride effortlessly through the trees. "What luck!" she thought to herself. "I am going to thank professor Lupin as soon as we get back to Hogwarts!"

They soon got to a house- it was the boy's, she assumed. Then she realized that she didn't even know the name of the guide she was following.

"Sorry, what's your name?" she asked quietly.

Jacob looked straight in the girl's eyes. "My name is Jacob. Uh... what's yours?"

"Hermione," she answered. "Shall we..."

Hermione indicated the house.

Jacob smiled again. "Sure," he said.

Jacob led Hermione into the bedroom. His heart was beating. Fast. He really didn't have experience with girls. This was all new to him. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "So... this is your room, and this is your bed..." Jacob trailed off, completely unsure of what to say to get his point across.

"You made the room up very nicely," said Hermione quietly. She stepped closer to Jacob. He was hot- literally. She could feel a warm aura around him. Maybe he had a fever. "Kiss me," she thought. Ron had _nothing_ on him. "Come on..."

Jacob looked the girl's eyes. As far as he could tell, Hermione wanted him too. Might as well find out...

Jacob leaned took a step forward and gently pulled her in close. His lips found hers instantly. Jacob closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Jacobs's neck and kissed him back. She felt wonderful; Jacob was the only person that mattered, now and forever. She pushed herself further towards him, fitting in with him more perfectly than she had ever imagined possible, and still being drawn in closer...

***

Firestar stood proudly in front of his clan. "Prepare for battle! Two-legs are invading the forest!" he called out, much to the dismay of all the nearby cats. "Kits and Elders will stay behind. Everyone else- follow me! We attack at once!" He leaped lightly off the Highstone, and crept silently through the forest. There were the two-legs! With a screeching battle cry, Firestar attacked the red-haired one, recalling the warning from Starclan.

Ron saw several furry shapes leaping towards him.

"Hey look at the ca- BLOODY HELL!"

A cat had just bitten his ear!

Tharaman caught up and saw the smaller cats attacking the human who had run away from him. As he appeared, they turned their attention on him as well. Roaring, Tharaman went down under sheer force of numbers.

Meanwhile, Ron finally remembered that he was a wizard and hurriedly apparated away, sending cats tumbling.

Firestar hissed in frustration. Where had the two-leg gone? He turned to the other intruder- the strange cat- and continued fighting.

Tharaman roared and swiped at the cats, crushing several. But more just seemed to take their place, biting, scratching...

***

Hermione found herself lying on the bed next to Jacob. Her memory was hazy, but she could remember the feeling well enough. Her jeans were still on, she was relieved to see, but her shirt and bra were both torn to shreds. Not that she minded...

She rolled over to look at Jacob, loving him so much it hurt. He had not fared much better- his shirt was reduced to charred tatters, although his skin underneath was perfect. Perhaps she should have put away her wand before kissing him.

He seemed to be asleep, chest rising and falling with every breath. Hermione contented herself to watch his muscular form almost hungrily while she waited for him to awake.

***

With a sharp "crack!"Ron apparated on a green lawn. He could hear the ocean close by. "Where am I?" he thought. He pulled out his wand and cautiously knocked on the door of the nearby house. No answer. Muttering to himself, Ron turned the doorknob, which, to his surprise, gave easily. He fell into the carpeted entrance hall and banged his head on the wall.

"Bloody... hell," gasped Ron, holding his head. The scratches and bruises he had received fighting the cats felt ten times worse.

"Hello? Anyone home?" he called. Maybe the house was abandoned. He hoped so- then he wouldn't have to pay for a hotel.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from a room at the end of the hallway. "Hello?" he called again. Holding his wand high, he pushed open the door...

His mouth dropped open into a perfect "O." Hermione was lying, _half naked,_ on a bed with her arms around another guy. They didn't seem to notice him. Frankly, he'd be surprised if they would notice an earthquake, the state they were in now.

Ron gave an inhuman roar of fury.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

***

Harry Potter waited until he was out of the forest before slipping a bottle out of his pocket and drinking its contents. Dumbledore had given the potion to him with the intent of having him split it between the three of them, but, after all, why should he? He, Harry, was the Chosen One, the Boy who Lived, the one who had killed Voldemort. He was much more important than Ron or Hermione.

Dumbledore had spent a long time creating the potion- it would give the drinker the temporary ability to sense anyone with an ability to use magic within a mile. Now all Harry had to do was wander around until he sensed someone. Harry smiled. He would find ten- no, twenty, no _fifty _people with magic to be taught at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore would give him a shiny medal as reward.

Engrossed in the thought of how shiny the medal would be, Harry did not notice that the potion was already pulling him towards a source of magic. When he did notice, he was not bothered in the slightest.

"Oh joy!" he cried. "I am already going to find someone! It was all due to my wonderful abilities and purity, of course."

***

Firestar lay on the ground, bleeding. He was surrounded by the bodies of his clan, and his heart was filled with shame. They had not won. True, they had not lost, either, as the stranger was now lying dead on the forest floor, but his clan had been slain in the process. Rather than live the rest of his existence in grief for his lost clan, Firestar cut his own throat with his claws and joined Starclan.

***


	3. The Beginning: Part 2

Darth Vader smiled to himself. Earth could be interesting. According to the information his pod gave him, they had humans as well as many odd aliens. Like Elephants. What kind of name was "El-le-phant?"

He slowed down his pod quickly after entering the Earth's atmosphere, and landed gently on a big grassy field. It was afternoon, and Darth Vader could see some houses around, but no people in sight. A strange noise made him turn.

"AHH!!" shouted Darth Vader in surprise. A menacing little creature with black poofy hair and a long poofy tail greeted him from a nearby tree. Darth Vader backed away. He didn't like the evil gleam in the creature's eyes. The little thing just munched innocently on a nut, while Darth Vader tried to decipher its intent. Was it here to take over the world too?

Darth Vader turned and started marching confidently towards the nearest house. There was no way that evil little alien could out-evil him. _He _had cool laser blasters, and he knew for a fact that earthlings hadn't even _invented_ jets that could go light speed. And they most certainly didn't have laser blasters.

Darth Vader blasted his way through the door of a small brick house, and walked slowly, and loudly, into the eating area. "Earthlings! I am Darth Vader, someone far superior to you all." He paused, trying to remember the rest of his speech. "Kneel before me, treat me as your king, and you shall be spared."

Upstairs, a young 8-year old girl named Madeline was playing with her Barbie dolls, her trademark giant yellow sunhat on the ground. A loud noise distracted her. Her adoptive brother must be back! She ran downstairs to greet him.

"Bonjour Seb! Tu es de retour? T'étais vite!" But it wasn't her brother. It was a tall man wearing a black suit. He breathed funny. Maybe he had bad asthma. "T'es qui toi?" she asked loudly.

Suddenly, she was reminded of the movies that her brother had watched a lot when he was a bit younger. This guy was in them. She desperately tried to remember his name.

"OHHH!!" she squealed. "T'es Darth Vader! Quelle surprise! Seb va être si heureux!"

Darth Vader was very confused. As far as he knew, earthlings spoke Basic, like him. "Uh, what language are you speaking?" he asked, annoyed.

Madeline understood. Darth Vader didn't know French. Luckily, her English wasn't bad. "Oh, you speak only Eenglish?" she asked. Not waiting for a response, she continued. "I talk French. Like Maman and Papa and Seb. Where are you from?"

Darth Vader sighed. This was weird. He needed to find out where he was in this crazy planet. "I was born on Tatooine. Where am I?"

"You are in Québec! It eez nice here, no?" Madeline paused. "Where is this Tatooo-ine?" she asked. She didn't know that place.

"Tatooine is in a different galaxy," said Darth Vader impatiently. "But I need to know how to take over the world!"

"Take over… the world?" Madeline asked, then gulped. This didn't sound good.

"Whatever!" yelled Darth Vader, and blasted the little girl with his gun. He marched outside, and blasted the house several times too, firing until it was just a mound of ash. "Now where else can I take over?" wondered Darth Vader. He got into his pod and started flying east.

***

Tintin arrived at the hospital, and jogged in to the emergency room, Mia in tow.

"Help, please!" he called out. Dr. Cullen rushed over.

"What happened?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"I think that his bus exploded," Tintin explained quickly. "Can we please get this boy some help?"

Dr. Cullen nodded, laid the boy on a stretcher, and brought him deeper into the hospital.

Milou silently ducked out of his leash and followed, making sure no one saw him. He didn't like the look of that doctor...

***

Harry Potter continued following the pull of the potion. It lead him out of city and towards a plume of smoke. Worried, Harry began to run. What a fiasco it would be if he, Harry, came too late to heroically save those with potential for magic?

He stopped, gaping at the sight in front of him.

A tour bus had skidded off the road, and was now aflame. Bodies were scattered everywhere. Shaken out of his delusions of grandeur for the moment, Harry raised his wand and cast a spell to locate any living people in the area.

Three bodies glowed faintly. Harry ran towards the closest, a dark-skinned girl with long black hair who was sprawled on the ground. He found no obvious injury on her except for a bit of blood on her head. She seemed to have only suffered a mild concussion, but was out cold nevertheless. Harry levitated her and jogged to the next person who had shown up as alive- a boy with brown hair who was facedown in the midst of the wreckage. His injuries seemed more serious. Fishing essence of Dittany out from his pocket, he spilled a few drops on each of the wounds. Before they had even finished closing, he levitated him as well, guiding the boy towards the other girl. Harry then turned his attention to the last live victim- an Asian girl who opened her eyes as he approached. "Where am I?" she asked dazedly. Harry didn't answer, but hurriedly levitated her toward the others. Her eyes widened as she realized she was floating, unsupported, above the ground. Harry realized- too late- that he probably should have chosen a method of transportation that would not shock the Muggles. Ah well, he'd have to make do. To his relief, the Asian girl fell unconscious again. He began to hurry back towards the city, his passengers in tow.

***

"Ron!" cried Hermione. Her face was shocked at first, but her expression cycled through guilt, anger, and finally embarrassment as she pulled up the blanket to cover herself. "Why?" she asked. "Why did you kill him?"

Ron was still furious at Hermione. His anger made half his words incoherent, but he managed to splutter "You- cheating- bitch!" before running off, cursing the world.

---

Hermione slumped in the bed, tears falling from her eyes. She had only forgotten about Ron for a few minutes, and now Jacob was dead, Ron hated her, and the group had lost their only guide. She got out of bed and pulled on one of Jacob's shirts. It was way too big for her, but she was in absolutely no mood to do magic to fix it to her size. She then tucked Jacob in so that he might have been sleeping and slipped out of the house, her face wet with tears and guilt clawing at her insides.

***

A screaming car caught Nancy's attention. A speeder! She rushed out from the apartment lobby fast enough to see the license plate. The driver of the car must have a reason for going that fast. She would get to the bottom of this. She didn't like the police solving mysteries that she could solve much faster. And better.

***

Dr. Cullen entered his office and sat down. He pulled out some papers, and was sorting through them when he heard quiet footsteps behind him. He turned around, but saw no one.

"Hello?" he called out. There was a flash of green light, and Dr. Cullen slumped in his chair, dead.

***

"Surprise!"

Rose opened her eyes slowly. Her parents were crouched in from of her bed holding a sheaf of papers. "Wha-" she began.

"We got this strange urge to take a vacation last night!" said her mother. "And I had this dream where a small white dog was telling me to go visit our relatives in Forks!"

Rose's eyes widened. They didn't have the money to go on vacation! And she had never even _heard_ of relatives in Forks. Where _was_ Forks anyways? What a stupid name for a town.

"Pack up your bags, we're leaving this afternoon," said her father.

"But..." spluttered Rose. Seeing the determination in her parents' eyes, she trailed off. "What's the name of the boat we're taking, anyways?"

"Oh, this lovely French cargo ship that's agreed to take us to Forks. The Mont-Blanc, it's called."

***

Jane woke up feeling very strange indeed. As if she were floating. She struggled to remember what had happened.

Ah yes, the bus. The explosion. But why did she feel as if she were floating?

Jane's eyes fluttered open. It took her a second to focus. And another second to register the fact that she was flying.

_No... I must be dreaming or something..._

Jane blinked, then pinched herself, then closed her eyes and counted to ten. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still flying. She tried to look around, and managed to see her friends. They too were flying.

"Ok, this makes no sense... this has _got_ to be a dream..." Jane mumbled to herself. She rubbed her eyes again. Everything stayed the same. "Come on WAKE UP!" she shouted at herself.

Harry turned around. One of his patients had woken up, although she seemed no saner than the other girl had. He puffed out his chest, ignored her odd exclamation, and declared himself loudly. "Hello injured Muggle! My name is Harry- Harry Potter. I have rescued you and your friends from the wreckage, as I have rescued so many other people! Thank your lucky stars that I was around to save you!"

"What did you call me?" Jane asked Harry, annoyed. What was a Muggle? Maybe muggles could float. Then maybe her friends were muggles too. Or maybe hallucinating could be a side effect of nervous breakdowns.

"Oh, oops," said Harry, deflating. He had forgotten he wasn't supposed to call people muggles- that was a magical term. Well, one of these three people was able to use magic. Maybe it was this snappy girl. "Do you believe in magic?" asked Harry.

Maybe he could have been a _bit_ more subtle.

"Magic?" Who was this boy? And what did magic have to do with anything right now?

"If you mean like pixies and fairies and stuff, that would be a no." Jane paused, then added "And could you please tell me why I'm flying?"

Harry smirked. "You have just answered your own question," he answered in a tone of voice that would make Professor Trelawney proud.

***

Edward smiled to himself, satisfied by the sweet taste of blood that covered his lips with distinctive warmth. He was crouched over a young mountain lion, three years old at the most, grazing his teeth over its neck and leaving sharp cuts, blood flowing onto the ground below them. He savoured the taste, listening to the wind, the rustle of the trees, the soft hooves of a deer trotting through the grass, and... a car's motor?

It sounded familiar. Edward focused on the sound, his eyes narrowed. Why would Bella and Alice be returning to Forks so soon? Surely they would have called him if it was something important.

But Edward didn't like to take any chances. He straightened up, brushed off his jeans, and started running towards Forks.

***

Jane sighed. This boy was getting on her nerves. Magic? Come on! Who did he think he was? She must be hallucinating. That was the only possible explanation that made any sense.

Jane was shaken out of her thoughts by the realization that her arm hurt. And her leg. And her head was throbbing. "Hey magic boy! Maybe could you do something about this?" Jane held out her arm for inspection. It had a shallow cut, but it was long, and possibly infected. She needed medical help.

Harry grinned. Finally, a fool-proof way to show her that magic was real! He reached into his pocket where he had put Essence of Dittany, but found nothing. His grin slipped off his face. He must have lost it in the rubble. He could always use his wand to heal it, but healing wasn't his strong point...

Harry shook himself. He was _Harry Potter_! Of _course_ he could heal a cut! He took out his wand and waved it over the cut, which sealed completely. Then grew feathers. "Oops," he said quietly.

Jane watched in silence as her wound healed up. But then she started growing feathers. Not good. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?" she screamed. "Turn me back, TURN ME BACK!!!"

At least now she believed in magic.

***


	4. The Beginning: Part 3

Faint screaming, echoing down a well... so quiet, Meena could barely make out the words...  
She came to slowly, dully recognizing the screams as Jane's. But why was she screaming? And why did she sound angry?  
Moaning quietly, Meena opened her eyes. If only her head would stop hurting...  
_What on earth?_ she thought. Jane was covered in bright red feathers, and a boy was waving a piece of wood around. _I must be dreaming,_ she thought. _Well, I can do anything I want in a dream. Even get up off this stretcher._  
Meena sat up, then lay back down, dizzy. What _was _she lying on? She twisted around, and saw... nothing. She seemed to be drifting in mid air. She gave a cry of fright, and the nothingness stopped supporting her, sending her tumbling five feet to the ground.

***

Harry whirled at the sound of a cry. Oh great. Another of the victims had woken up. "Look," he told the feathered girl. "Shut up- my friend can help you. She's good at magic. But first, could you please wave this wand around? I want to see whether any of you can use magic." Harry realized, too late, that giving a wand to a girl who was furious at him probably was not the smartest thing to do. Ah well.

Jane looked suspiciously at the wand. All it had done so far was give her feathers. But she snatched it anyways. She waved it around madly, waiting for something to happen. Preferably to Harry.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. "Thank you," he said, snatching his wand from Jane. He then turned to the other girl who had woken up and frowned. Why had his spell given way like that? In any case, she seemed to be unconscious again. He'd wake _her _up when they got to the village. Casting locomotis on her limp body, Harry manoeuvred her into line with the third boy. "Okay, you walk next to me," he told the girl. "We're going back to the village. And don't run away- remember, my friend's the only one who can set you right. In the meantime- what's your name? And how did you get to be in an explosion?"

"My name is Jane..." she grumbled. "And the bus exploded. I don't know how it happened..." Jane didn't like this boy and certainly didn't like having to stick with him. What if he turned her into a full chicken?

"Nice to meet you," Harry answered cordially. They were approaching the city, but Harry veered to go in through the forest. Hermione and Ron were probably waiting for him there, unable to do anything without a strong leader. He pulled his coin out of his pocket, but there was no message on it. Huh. Well, he'd find them soon enough. Sporks was a small city.

***

Tintin waited impatiently for a doctor to arrive. Why were they taking so long? Tintin shrugged and left Danny in the hospital room. He needed to look for Minou. He headed out the wide hospital doors and began wandering around. He noticed a column of smoke in the distance. What could it be? A group of smugglers? A forfeiter's lair? Someplace that had actually remained French? He began running in the direction of the smoke.

"Where are we going now?" shrieked Mia. Her new guardian was really getting on her nerves. Then she saw the column of smoke, and understood- he had mentioned Danny had been in a bus explosion. Well, if he wanted to act the hero that was fine with her. But she was going to stay put and keep guard over Danny in case he woke up.

***

Ron stumbled into the town and managed to calm himself down. Why should he let Hermione affect him like this? If she wanted him as an enemy, fine. But right now, he had to find Harry and continue on the mission Dumbledore had given him. Having no idea where to start, he sat on a bench and watched the people go by.

***

Harry stopped, stretchers hanging a few feet in front of him. Pulling his wand out, he cast _homo revelus_ to see who was close by. He, Ron, and Hermione had learned to recognize each other's auras while casting it. Frowning in concentration, he turned around, wand out. "I think Hermione went... this way," he told Jane. "She's the one who's good at magic. Ron must have disapparated, because his trail ends abruptly." He glanced over at Jane, saw the confusion in her face, and shook his head, sighing. "Muggles," he muttered to himself.

Harry followed the faint trail Hermione had left, occasionally casting a spell to reveal the path anyone who had crossed the area had taken. The trek through the forest was long, and he began to get tired. Why wasn't Hermione coming to _him_? _He _was the important one, after all. But just as he began to consider giving up, he and his group came to a rocky beach. Harry saw Hermione sitting with her face buried in her hands a short way away.

"Hermione! Hermione!" he cried, running towards her. As soon as he moved ten feet away from the floating victims, his spell gave way and the two teens tumbled to the ground. When Hermione lifted her face, he stopped. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tear tracks were clear against her face. "What happened to you? You look like crap," Harry told her, grinning. "But it doesn't matter- I found someone who can use magic! One of these three, anyways. Not the girl with feathers. You have to cure her of that."

---

Hermione looked at Harry, anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. "He is _so_ immature," she thought to herself. She turned to the girl Harry indicated. The poor thing was covered head to toe in feathers. "Harry probably did that," she thought to herself savagely. "Oh, how I wish Ron hadn't killed Jacob. I don't know if I can even _do_ magic now."

"Come here," she told the girl. "I think I can heal you. Harry is an oaf when it comes to magic."

Hermione began to feel a bit better. What was Jacob anyways? Just a random stranger in the forest. Why should she care if it's her fault he's dead?

---

Jane tried to follow what Harry was saying, but nothing made sense. Disapa-what? She hoped he knew what he was doing. After all, he _had_ almost turned her into a chicken.

After entering a rocky beach, Jane could see a girl about Harry's age sitting on a rock covering her face with her hands. Was this the one who could turn her back to normal? Hopefully. Feathers were hot. And itchy. She followed the girl's instructions and prayed that this would work. Then no one would have to do any more magic on her. It was _way_ too risky.

***

Alice and Bella drove on the road that twisted alongside the forest, almost in Forks. The car was moving smoothly, the purr of its engine just a soft whirr that ricocheted off of the shadows, creating a faint, soothing echo. Bella leaned her head back against the seat, her eyes locked on her surroundings. Everything looked the same, just multiple blurs of green. But as Bella scanned the horizon, she noticed something else, something out of place. A billowing cloud of smoke.

"Alice!" Bella turned to her friend, alarmed. She pointed to the sky in a frantic, movement. "What's that?"

"Huh?" Alice was jolted out of one of her visions, quickly noticing what Bella had seen. "Oh!"

The car swiftly swerved to the roadside, coming to a gentle stop.

Bella opened her car door and peered out of it, nervous to what she may find. Nothing seemed to out of the ordinary here- no fire, no explosions, no destruction. She figured that whatever had happened must have occurred farther into the forest, maybe on one of the distant roads.

"I think there's a fire." Alice wrinkled her nose, disgusted by the scent. "I smell smoke. And... werewolf."

"What?" Bella whirled her head around so that she was staring Alice directly in the face. "You don't suppose this has something to do with...?"

"No." Alice shook her head, pursing her lips in concentration. "I don't. Probably just a car crash or something like that."

"Oh." Bella frowned, sceptical. Her eyes darted to the horizon, staying there for a brief moment, then returning to the dashboard. "So... what now? Do you think we should call Carlisle, you know, to see if he can help in any way?"

"That might be best." Alice nodded, whipping out her sleek, silver phone. "I'll just call him..."

Suddenly there was a loud, creaking noise above them, and the shattering noise of breaking glass.

***

Tintin arrived at the site of the smoke. Darn it- nothing too suspicious. Just a destroyed bus. Suddenly, a smaller section of it exploded. A piece of shrapnel struck Tintin on the head, but he shrugged it off- one of the bodies had moved. Tintin walked over to find a tall boy with dark skin. The boy was unconscious, and the side of his head was bleeding heavily. Tintin threw the boy over his shoulders, and began jogging to the hospital. Again.

***

Jane felt a weird tingling as the girl waved her magic wand and muttered words. She closed her eyes in fear of what she might see. When it was over, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a flood of relief. No more feathers. Good thing too - who knows what kind of nicknames she would have gotten. Chicken Girl?

Harry smiled at the girl, hoping she wasn't _too_ angry at him for making her sprout feathers. He _did_ heal her cuts, after all. "Okay, what can you tell us about your two friends? We know one of the three of you can do magic, and it doesn't seem to be you."

Jane nodded vaguely and almost began describing her friends when she came to a realization. "Wait, how do you know one of us can _do_ magic, anyways?" she asked Harry.

Harry's eyes darted nervously to Hermione, who was watching the conversation intently. Maybe he _should_ have told her about the potion. "Erm... well... I just do," he said vaguely. Then he switched the subject back and said "So- which of your friends do you think is most likely to be able to use magic? They might not know it yet, by the way."

Jane nodded slowly, still suspicious, but realizing that they would say no more about the subject.

"Well Meena has been a little weird lately, I don't really know why..." she started. "I don't know much about Jeremy though. There was a big scandal when everyone found out he was gay… or something..." Jane really wasn't sure of what to say. Why should she talk about her friends to these strange people? Could she even trust them? One had already covered her in feathers. And furthermore, how would she be able to recognize the signs of magical ability when a few minutes ago she hadn't even believed in it? Maybe you had to have magic ability yourself. That would explain why Harry knew that someone could do magic.

***

"Ugh." Bella groaned, her eyes half shut. She didn't know where she was, only that there was pain radiating throughout her whole body. Her head throbbed, and when she reached up to touch her face, her hand came away wet. Wet with blood.

Then the memories came flooding back. The smoke, stopping the car, the crash... and Alice. Where was Alice?

No, she had to be okay. But Bella tried to open her eyes anyways, seeing nothing but a mix of black and red- swirling colors that further confused her. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but no sound came out. Only a raspy whisper, barely audible.

"Bella?"

Bella's senses were awakened when she heard a familiar voice. The sound of a beautiful melody.

"Alice?" Bella croaked, raising her arms into the air, struggling to keep hold of the soothing voice.

"Bella, it's okay." Bella felt a cool hand sweep across her forehead, sending spikes of pain rushing through her body. "Everything's going to be okay. Just listen to the sound of my voice."

"W-what happened?" Bella whispered, closing her eyes, trying to block out the pain. She winced as a sharp pain in her chest arose, making her clench her fists and grind her teeth together.

Alice sighed, a sad, depressing sound. Her voice was quieter then usual, cautious, as if she was trying to carefully word her sentences. "Listen, Bella. I don't know how to tell you this, but," She paused, biting her lip. "You've been hurt pretty badly."

"What do you mean?" Bella dug her nails into the ground as another pain sent a shock through her body. "I'm... fine."

"No." Alice shook her head, now whispering. "You're not. As far as I can see, you've broken many bones, have a serious gash across your chest, and probably have a major concussion. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you alive, but... I'm not sure if that will be enough. Unless..." Alice's voice trailed off, the sound now dull.

"Unless what?" Bella managed to croak, the pain now becoming almost unbearable. She squeezed Alice's hand tighter, until the skin above her knuckles was white.

"Unless..." Alice spoke slowly, gently. "You become one of us."

***

Jane sighed. This was BORING. Nothing exciting now that all the magical fairy stuff was over. Maybe she would take a walk and look for something like a rock to skip... or something. "I'm going to take a look around, ok?" she called back to the magic people.

After wandering around for a few minutes, Jane could see someone emerging from the forest. Maybe they knew something about what was going on. It was worth a try.

"Hey ther-" Jane froze. She stared into the stranger's eyes. He stared back.

The strangest feeling surged through her body. A feeling of wanting, of needing. She needed this mystery man, and she would do anything for him, so they could be together. She needed him.

The word "imprinting" floated through her mind.

***

Haddock blinked, confused. Why was that girl staring at him? Was that the way greetings were done in English? He suddenly remembered that he had left his beer at home, and he ditched the girl, jogging towards his one true love- alcohol.

***

Darth Vader had to swerve sharply to the right to avoid an on-coming aircraft. It was big and ugly, and didn't have any lasers at all. Earthlings were so pathetic.

Finally, he saw land. The ocean had gone on for quite a while. Earth seemed to have lots of water. That wasn't good; water didn't blow up quite as nicely as rock did. But he would have to make do. After all, when Earth wasn't useful to him anymore it would be fun to blow it up. That would bring his Number of Planets Destroyed up to 35. Quite a nice number.

After parking his pod, Darth Vader took a quick look around. Was there some big important building he could take over around here? He would have to ask. How inconvenient. Well at least this place was crawling with Earthlings- most of them staring at his escape pod.

***

Jane frowned. Why was the man running away? That wasn't very nice of him...

After thinking for a while, Jane had come up with a plan. It had been difficult, since she had been unable to think straight for quite a few minutes. All she had to do was find this man, follow him home, then have a talk with him. Easy. Not.

***

Bella grew silent, her eyes widening with surprise and excitement. She couldn't help feel a little hopeful about Alice's proposition, regardless of the situation she was in now. She had wanted to become a vampire for a long time, so now was her chance. "W-what about Edward?" asked Bella , wincing as another ripple of pain passed over her body.

Alice sighed, her eyebrows pulling together. "I don't think we have time to call him to get his opinion." She paused, studying Bella's damage. "You're in pretty bad shape. I'm not sure if we can afford to wait any longer."

"Alright." Bella tried to act confident, but instead, her voice sounded ragged and tired. She could feel the dark shadows of unconsciousness pulling, tugging, yanking at the corners of her mind, urging her to close her eyes and drift off into the endless darkness.

***

"Grahamstown loss times 3.....dared not to part with us.

What a big fear, What a big fear, What a big fear.

Maybe to swallow long words and unvowelled..."

"BE QUIET!!!!" Capt. Haddock's neighbour shouted, scowling. Capt. Haddock scowled right back, and continued his off-key Ode to Waterbottles. He clung tightly to his nearly empty bottle of beer as he danced around his living room.

***

Alice leaned over Bella, gently passing her lips against the hollow of her neck, easing her teeth into the soft flesh. She left behind crescent gashes that oozed blood, Bella's skin getting splattered with it . Alice squeezed Bella hands, her face stiff, trying to sympathize. She waited for Bella to register the pain, to awake from her dreams and start screaming in agony.

But nothing came. Only a slight whimper.

Alice knew that Bella was still alive, but only just. She had to take her to Edward.

***

As the girl she had healed strode off the beach, Hermione turned away from Harry and bit her lip, trying to think of what to do now. She tried to stop her thoughts from straying to Jacob, but it was no use. What she needed was some mindless, idiotic, shallow activity to keep her mind blank until the others woke up. She could just heal them into consciousness, but the feather-removal had been enough strain on her tired state of mind. Then the clouds abruptly cleared, the last rays of light of the day shining onto the beach, and Hermione, sighing, decided that she would just watch the sunset and do her best to keep her mind blank.

***

Peeking out from her hiding spot, Nancy could see the two speeders stopping to investigate some smoke. Maybe she should investigate that herself later. Later… she could also go do some shopping after solving the mystery. Treat herself to something nice. Maybe a dress.

The sound of crunching metal brought her back to the present. A tree had fallen on her suspects! Well at least they wouldn't be speeding again anytime soon... but they would need an ambulance. Nancy searched through her bag and pulled out her cell phone. Looking up again, she gasped. The small girl, the driver, was completely unharmed! The other didn't look so good though. The driver carried the other girl away, looking unhappy. Well. This sure was suspicious. Nancy quickly got into her bright yellow mustang and followed them at a fair distance.

***

After looking around for quite a while, Jane saw the man through the window of a house. She had at last found her man. Now, she just had to talk to him. Her feet dragged as she stumbled up to the front step. Jane took a deep breath, then knocked.

***

Alice carried Bella in her arms, at loss for words. Bella's eyes were closed, slightly tightened, her jaw set firmly, her fists clenched. But overall, her face was only displaying a hint of the emotions that Alice had expected to see.

Maybe Bella's pain was duller then the raging fire that the others had felt.

Nevertheless, Alice focused on getting home as quickly as possible, trying not to dwell on Bella's well being- or, more accurately, lack of it. The more she let her thoughts splay out all over her head, the more difficult it was to imagine the future

As soon as she came within range of her house, Alice spoke aloud.

"Edward." She whispered, knowing that he could hear her morbid tone. "Something's happened to Bella." Alice knew that as soon as she uttered the first words, Edward was already reading her thoughts, horrified at what he found.

***


	5. The Beginning: Part 4

_**Authr's Note:** We are very sorry for the delay in posting this part of the story! There was something wrong with the Document Manager... it wouldn't let us upload any new files. But now Harry Potter and the Series of Unfortunate Legends of Drizzt is back on schedule! Remember to check up every Friday!_

Harry stared blankly at Hermione's retreating figure. "Hey!" he cried. "You have to take care of these two before they become conscious!" Hermione ignored him. Muttering to himself, Harry glanced at the two remaining victims. The potion was wearing off, and he could barely feel the vague aura around the general area, let alone track a potential wizard across a desert. Harry frowned to himself, thinking about his problem. Then his mind cleared- he would bring one of the victims with him and see whether he still felt the magic when they were far away! He grinned, pleased with his idea, and picked up the boy- he looked more like a wizard than the girl did. Panting a bit with the effort, he slung the boy over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and followed the path Jane had taken.

***

Alice saw Edward come running through the front door and onto the porch. His expression was one of pure shock, but Alice could sense that anger was present as well.

"Bella?" Edward mumbled, at loss for words, examining her battered body. Then he saw the crescent shaped bites, and his shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry." Alice placed her hand on Edward's shoulder, her voice soft. "I got her here the fastest I could."

"Was it really necessary?" Edward stroked Bella's hair out of her eyes, his expression dark, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." Alice nodded, frowning. She carefully placed Bella in Edward's waiting arms, and opened the front door. "Come on, let's get her inside."

Edward gave a little sigh and followed. He was upset, but he knew that biting her had been the only way to save her. Alice just hoped that Edward would be kind enough to forgive her.

Alice watched as Edward gently slid Bella onto the white leather sofa, propping her head against the accompanying pillows. She looked the same as she had twenty minutes ago, a fact that puzzled Alice immensely.

"I thought you said that she'd be in pain." Alice whispered, trying to figure it out. "Could it be possible that she's... different?"

"Maybe." Edward muttered, still hovering over Bella's still body. "Or maybe that's just-"

He was cut off by a sharp knock at the front door.

***

Capt. Haddock heard a knock at the door. Darn barn owls. They were always knocking on his door, then flying away before he could see them. He picked up his axe, planning on giving the owls a piece of his mind, and maybe a whack or two. He swung the door open, and stood in shock, swaying slightly. What was a tree doing on his front porch? Darn owls... he'd show them. Capt. Haddock took a great swing at the tree with his axe.

***

Harry trudged slowly through the forest. He had made his passage easier by having Jeremy float in front of him on a cushion of air, but the forest here seemed thicker, and he couldn't remember the path he had taken to get to the beach in the first place.

Harry blinked. He couldn't feel the magic anymore. That meant the girl had to be the magic-user. Oops.

Glancing around, Harry saw a large house. Looking down at Jane's friend, he walked to the door and rapped it hard with his knuckles. Maybe the people in the house would be willing to take in a patient.

Then, not one to make the same mistake twice, Harry lifted the levitating spell from Jeremy so that he fell to the ground with a "thunk!" This time, he's going to be as inconspicuous as possible.

***

Alice glided to the front door, seeing as Edward wasn't planning to move from Bella's side, and opened it. There was a boy standing on her front porch. He seemed sixteen years old at the most.

Alice faked a cheerful smile, and spoke to the boy in her singsong voice. "How may I help you?"

"Um... hi," said Harry. The girl was _very _pretty, but he stopped himself from looking. He had a mission to do, and how un-heroic would it be to fall in love with a random girl while he knew exactly where someone who could use magic was?

"I... found... this boy in some wreckage outside of the village," he began slowly. "I was wondering if you could tend to him while I go get his friend? She's still on the beach... because... I can only carry one person at once." Harry smiled at the girl, pleased with himself for not giving anything away.

"That explains the smoke." Alice muttered so quietly that she could barely hear herself. She turned to the injured boy, who was lying unconscious on the ground, covered in blood and rips in his clothing. "I'd be glad to." Alice grinned, but she remained on guard. "What's your name? I'm sure the boy would like to know who brought him here when he wakes up."

"Harry- Harry Potter," answered Harry. "Now, I really have to get back... so here." Harry lifted the boy to Alice, then turned without waiting for further comment and began to run towards the beach.

***

Tintin slowed down. He wasn't getting tired- of course not! He was Tintin!- but the boy he had pulled from the wreckage _was_ pretty heavy. He noticed a red-headed boy sitting on a bench nearby.

"Could I have some help please? Tintin called.

***

Capt. Haddock swung his axe again, and was pleased to see that he had aimed his swing perfectly. The tree fell over with a strange squishing sound, and Capt. Haddock closed the door and went back to his singing.

***

Ron was shaken out of his stupor by a man- with hair as red as his- carrying the body of boy who seemed around eighteen. "Help?" he repeated slowly. He looked at the body. No, not a body- the boy's chest was rising and falling in uneven rythm. Unconscious, not dead. But he could fix that easily... but only by using magic. In front of a muggle.

For some reason, Ron felt that he had to help the boy to make up for killing Jacob. Killing... oh shit, he had actually _killed_ someone! Ron gave a start and clenched his jaw. For some reason that knowledge hadn't fully penetrated his consciousness until now.

"I'll help," he said fiercely. With a determined movement, Ron took his wand from his pocket and cast a simple healing spell over the boy, who blinked and opened his eyes at once. The cuts were scarred over, but Ron noticed his lower half was limp, unmoving. Broken back; he'd have to get Hermione to look at that. Who- other than Harry- would be fool enough to try and heal something beyond their skill? Wait- he couldn't ask Hermione. Hermione hated him. And he wasn't too fond of her either at the moment...

Tintin stared at the boy in his arms in awe. What had happened? He had done the same thing Tintin did every time he got hurt! No one else did that! Tintin looked at the young red-headed boy.

"What did you just do?" He asked.

Ron narrowed his eyes and looked at the man in confusion. He did not seem scared or confused, or even upset at the unexplainable healing of the boy, who was still looking around with a confused expression plastered on his face. The man just seemed impressed. Maybe he was a wizard too... but should he take that risk?

"I healed him with magic," blurted out Ron.

Okay, that was decided.

Tintin nodded. That was logical enough. Tintin was just so cool he never got hurt. So was Milou. Speaking of that dog... where was he?

***

Jeremy woke up after a most peculiar dream. He had been flying. No wait, floating was more the word. But first there had been some big boom and random colours... As he came further into consciousness he slowly remembered the bus. Exploding. Why _had_ it exploded?

Jeremy slowly started opening his eyes. All he could really see were some colours, but they were gradually fading to make way for reality. He could feel that he was quite comfortable, lying somewhere nice. It didn't make any sense. Unless someone had rescued him. Yes, that would be good. Being rescued from an exploding bus was good.

Then Jeremy noticed stabbing pains beginning to become noticeable throughout his entire body. Oh right, if he had been in an exploding bus, he would be hurt. Unless someone had cast a… a _magic spell_ over him. Which was highly unlikely. He groaned quietly at the pain.

Jeremy could see quite well now, and let his eyes wander around. He was in a room, so had probably been rescued. That was a good sign. He noticed someone sitting across from him. He turned his head ever so slightly to get a better look. He was not prepared for what greeted him.

Wow. A man, the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Jeremy didn't even notice the girl he was holding. He just stared in wonder and started mumbling nonsense.

---

Alice took the boy in her arms, puzzled by Harry's urgency. It wasn't every day that unexpected strangers stumbled across The Cullen's desolate home, as deep into the forest as it was. The explosion that he had talked about was a highly important matter, though. If there were many people hurt, then they probably needed help. She would call Carlisle as soon as she brought the boy inside.

Alice shut the door behind her, Edward's gaze flicking to hers and then right back to Bella. He had heard their conversation, no doubt. She placed the boy on the sofa, carefully placing a soft, knit, wool blanket on top of his still body. He'd probably wake up soon, and then Alice would tend to his injuries, seeing as Carlisle was still at work.

"Edward," Alice whispered, his morbid expression telling her that he was in no mood to talk. She whipped the sleek silver cell phone out of her pocket in one, smooth movement, and quickly dialled Carlisle's cell phone number. "I'm going to call Carlisle, seeing as there is more then one person here who is going to need some medical help."

Edward gave a slight nod, his jaw tightened with frustration. Alice couldn't help herself from feeling a little frustrated herself, so many things happening in such a small period of time. She pressed the phone against her ear, even though she would have been able to hear it from across the room, and listened attentively to the rings. One. Two. Three. Alice briefly wondered if Carlisle could have left his phone somewhere. Four. Five. Six. And then nothing.

---

Edward stroked Bella's cheek with the back of his hand, feeling the warmth of her skin. He sighed, his face hard with a mix of emotions, trying to decide which ones were the most important. He was indescribably angry at Alice for doing this to Bella. How could she? He had never wanted Bella to be sentenced to such a horrible fate. But now she had no choice. She was going to be forced into having an endless life, living for all eternity, preying on other living creatures to satisfy her thirst.

But had his sister really been irrational? Bella had been close to death. Had there really been any other possible way to save her? Edward's mind was filled with these open ended questions, scrambling his thoughts.

Yet his anger wasn't nearly half as bad as the pain that he felt for Bella, his overprotective personality getting the better of him. She was in bad shape, and even though he was positive that she would make it through, he couldn't help but feel like his life was dangling by a thread. Bella had to survive. She had to. Otherwise Edward wouldn't be able to spend one more minute alive, devastated by the loss.

As Edward sat in his pool of sorrows, kneeling over Bella, he barely heard the boy that had been sent here wake up. The boy's first thoughts were alarmed, absolutely shocked by where he was. But he was quite logical, soon putting all of the pieces together, understanding that he had been in an explosion, gotten hurt, and brought to someplace safe. Edward prepared himself to block out the boy's thoughts, not in the least bit interested, when something caught him off guard.

The boy was seeing something beautiful, something that he had never seen before. He found it stunning, amazing, wonderful to look at.

Edward had heard these thoughts quite a few times before, directed towards his sisters. He wasn't at all vain, but vampires seemed to have that kind of effect on humans.

But what surprised him the most was that these thoughts weren't directed towards his sisters at all.

This time they were directed towards him.

***

Nancy drew followed the two girls to the forest, then got out of her car to follow. The one girl was walking _really _quickly, and so Nancy almost had to run to keep up. But she went unnoticed.

When they finally arrived at a house, Nancy was rather out of breath. After the two girls went in she hid in a bush by the window and tried to slow down her breathing. The window was slightly open, so she caught some of the conversation.

"I thought… she'd be in pain…" "Different?"

That was enough to spark Nancy Drew's curiosity.

That was when she noticed a boy walking towards the house. Watching him closely, she noticed something behind him. A FLOATING boy. She rubbed her eyes, then looked again. He was still floating. She was _not_ seeing things. Was she? When the boy reached the door, the floating one dropped, as if the invisible force on him had let go. Nancy watched as he gave the hurt, now non-floating one to the girl inside. Very suspicious indeed.

Nancy waited, and after about ten minutes, she heard the door open once again, and the small girl dance away, back into the forest. Nancy decided to wait, and maybe she would come back. Then she would be able to hear more and put some pieces together.

***

Edward took his eyes off Bella for a moment, intrigued by this new sort of attention. He'd never heard a guy think about him that way before.

In envy, sure, guys had been jealous- no doubt of his profound intimacy with Bella. But love?

Edward pursed his lips in concentration, catching the boy's amazed stare. He couldn't describe it, but the more that he listened to the boy's thoughts, the more content he was.

He was pleased with them.

But that didn't mean that they were powerful enough to push Edward out of his bottomless misery, seeming to get worse every minute that Bella spent lying motionless on the sofa, absolutely still.

She was much more important that anything else right now.

---

Alice closed her eyes, sitting on the hard marble floor, legs crossed. She concentrated on nothing else but the empty space in her mind, blocking out every other thought and emotion.

She was trying to see Bella in the future, safe, okay, indestructible, so that Edward would be reassured. It was the least she could do, the fact being that if she hadn't taken Bella out shopping, none of this would have happened.

Alice's head was cleared, visualizing nothing but a blank space, waiting for a vision.

But nothing happened. Not a single vision crossed her mind.

She blinked, her eyes popping wide open. Everything looked the same, except now the boy was wide awake, staring at Edward in a strange, peculiar way. She guessed that she had been in her trance for at least a few minutes, but one could never tell.

Ignoring the conscious guest, Alice slammed her eyelids shut again, alarmed by the lack of predictions. She tried not to let her frantic worries take over her thoughts, for Edward would surely be listening, getting placed in a deeper sorrow then he already was.

Something must be wrong with her. There was no other explanation. Why else wouldn't she be able to see Bella?

Alice hoped that it was either a mistake, or the slim chance that as a vampire, Bella would develop a new, stronger immunity to other's abilities.

Suddenly the featureless images in her head were replaced with colors, projecting a scene, a forest of some kind. She was surrounded by bright green foliage, opening up to an astounding, old fashioned castle with beautiful carvings and extraordinary craftsmanship. Edward and Bella were accompanying her- Bella was transformed. They strode through the forest, amazed by where they were and the detailed landscape, heading for the main doorway, which was surrounded by teenagers dressed in strange, black robes. The students turned to stare at the vampires, their faces contorted with confusion and fear.

"Excuse me?" Edwards lightly tapped a red-haired boy on the shoulder. "Is this Hogwarts?"

"Yes." The boy replied, grinning a goofy grin. "Follow me."

Then the picture had disappeared, leaving Alice in the comfort of her own, bare mind. She quickly opened her eyes, and peered around the room. Edward was watching Bella, and the boy had gone back to sleep, so there really was no need for Alice to be here. She could try to figure out what "Hogwarts" was.

---

Jeremy continued staring, not feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable at being caught doing so by the man. Nothing mattered right now... Jeremy couldn't think straight.

At last Jeremy managed to pull his attention away from the mystery boy to notice a very small yet attractive girl walk in. He quickly pretended to be asleep.

They spoke quietly, and Jeremy found nothing of use in their words. He slowly drifted to sleep, thinking of the man sitting across from him.

***

Alice decided to go look for the red haired boy, sure that she would come across him sooner or later. It was very unusual for her to have visions so crisp and clear without her actually ever have been there before, so this one must have been critically important.

"Edward," Alice smiled, knowing that Edward was hearing her thoughts. "Now that you know Bella will be okay, I'm going to take a trip to the explosion, maybe try and locate Carlisle."

Edward nodded, his expression slightly less pained then before, and shot an agitated look towards the boy. "What are we going to do with him?"

"I'm sure his friend, Harry, will come looking for him." Alice chirped, eager to start her search. She enjoyed meeting new people, especially those who and something to do with such a magical place. "He's down at the explosion right now, helping out." Alice gave Edward a reassuring grin. "I'll be back soon."

Edward turned back to Bella, frowning, Alice's cheerfulness having no effect on Edward's sorrows.

She sighed, and left the house.

***

Jane froze in terror. What the HELL was this guy doing!? With an axe!! She jumped back just in time, but the axe nicked her arm. It hurt. Her cut started to bleed slowly.

Jane scowled. This wasn't good; the man of her dreams was trying to kill her with an axe. Why was the world always so unfair? How come things had to turn against her all the time? How come nothing ever worked her way? She could _not_ be asking too much.

Jane felt heat quivering down her spine as these thoughts built up anger. Her vision became tinted red at the edges. Her whole body shook with anger she never knew she had. Jane closed her eyes and desperately tried to calm herself down, but nothing worked. A strange sensation spread throughout her body, making her feel like she was growing, changing.

A few seconds later, when she had at last calmed down, she opened her eyes, seeing the man about to attack her again. She slowly backed up, but tripped over her own feet. Looking down at herself, she gasped in horror, but it came out as a strange cough-bark.

She _had _changed. She was furry, four-legged, and HUGE. She lifted up her paws, to feel her face, and she had a snout, like a dog. Jane tried to get up to run away, but she was too clumsy in this new form. She could do nothing to prevent the axe coming down on her. She felt extreme pain, and then nothing but black.

***


	6. The Halifax Explosion: Part 1

The Halifax Explosion

_Do your research._

Rose drummed a frantic beat on the rail of the _Mont-Blanc._ According to the potbellied captain, they would reach Forks soon, but rather than being assuaged by the announcement, it had made her more agitated. What madness had struck her parents to spend virtually all the family funds on a pointless vacation? And why was her sense of unease growing stronger with every dockman who hurried past with explosives for the war strapped on his back?

Quite suddenly, Rose had a most peculiar sensation- like during the infinitesimal fraction of a second between a mug falling off the table and when it smashes into oblivion on the floor below. A feeling of inescapable doom, already set in motion by an unknown chain of events...

Rose glanced around uneasily in time to see a large metal contraption- there was no other word for it- _rip_ its way out of the blue sky. Rose stared, mouth dropping open in horrified surprise, as the carriage-like object fell towards the ship, bringing with it torrents of brackish water. She caught a glimpse of the driver- a sandy-haired boy with a maniac expression marring his otherwise handsome face- before her eyes flicked down to where the object would inevitably hit- the pile of explosives amassed by the dock workers. "No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "No!"

Time seemed to speed up again, and carriage and explosives collided with a bang. No, not a bang- a roar. A roar of fire and sound from a beast only humans can awake.

It was the sound of several tons of explosives detonating at once.

***

"Having fun?" asked Count Olaf, smiling at the three remaining orphans who were chained to the wall of a large metal box-like hut. The glint in his eyes set the friendly smile off, but even Sunny couldn't miss the obvious excitement emanating from Olaf.

After forcing the Baudelaires to carry heavy unmarked crates across the hot beach of the city he had called "Forks," he had ushered the three siblings inside the hut by prodding them with the harpoon gun. He had then set about to turning them against the wall and fastening shackles to their arms and legs, which he in turn hung from hooks. None of the orphans could imagine what Olaf was planning on doing. He had given no explanation and had began attaching the metal pieces that had been in the crates together to make a large, ungainly machine that seemed to be a cross between a ray-gun and a whimsical superstitious ward. His query as to whether the Baudelaires were "having fun" had been his first words since his order to carry the crates.

"No," snapped Klaus. "We are not, as you very well know."

"Hungry, tired, thirsty!" added Sunny.

"Oh, that is just too bad," shrugged Olaf. "What sort of person would make three young children work so hard?"

He ignored Violet as she opened her mouth to retort, turning back to the machine and pouring faintly green liquid into it, which hissed and spluttered menacingly.

"Could you at least tell us what that stuff is?" asked Violet. She didn't expect an answer, but wanted to cover up her fear with indignation. To her surprise, Count Olaf answered promptly. "Vampire venom," he said. "Now that I am done building this, I may as well tell you what your fate will be."

"Vampire venom," scoffed Klaus. "How would poison help you get our fortune?"

"Oh," sighed Olaf. "The beauty of having it all. No, I've gone on to something bigger. Not money- at least not yet. Can you guess what?"

The orphans looked at each other in confusion. What would Olaf want more than money?

"Power," wheezed Olaf. "In its most literal meaning. I am going to turn myself into a vampire, and drink the blood of three specific children to make myself stronger. _Then_ I can have all the money I want- no bank could stand up to a vampire's strength, even if the venom _is_ more watered down than it would have been directly from a tooth."

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny laughed- not from amusement, but relief. If Olaf's plan was this outlandish, there would be no danger to them. _Vampires..._

"I do not blame you for not believing me," sighed Olaf. "But you will soon enough. Its been nice knowing you."

He twirled the ray towards himself, then bent below it and began adjusting some of the knobs.

"There we g-"

KABOOM!!!!!!!

A tremendous, but clearly far-off, explosion rocked the hut. "What the-" shouted Olaf, standing up. But, as he was below the ray at the time, this did nothing more than bang his head... and press the trigger. The ray gun trembled and fired.

Incidentally, it was pointing right at Sunny Baudelaire.

***

Hermione had fallen asleep on the beach and was in a deep slumber while Rose met her fate. The explosion woke her, but when she opened her eyes, she could not remember why she had woken so suddenly, nor why her adrenaline was pounding and her muscles twitching, ready for flight. She sat up slowly, stretching. Then she saw it.

A huge wave blown out of the water by the formerly-Halifax explosion, pursued by flame and shrapnel from the boat.

Hermione tried to take in a breath to scream, but by the time she had, the aftermath of the explosion had reached her. The tsunami pinned her against the rocks, and she tried again to take breath, but the flames had burnt up the air and as her lungs were filled with fire, her silent scream echoed loudly- the death cry of Hermione Granger silenced by the unnatural force of the explosion.

***

Meena opened her eyes again, feeling much more alert than she had the previous times she had briefly regained consciousness. Snatches of those times floated back to her, obviously skewed. The thin boy with black hair who had rescued her was probably real, but the drifting on thin air? The talk of magic?

But Meena was used to strange dreams and nightmares- even after Steven Clayton had been imprisoned she had been tormented by them... images of him coming towards her, _violating_ her... if she closed her eyes, she could still feel his stubble against her face.

Meena buried her face in her hands. How had she let it happen? How had Steven single-handedly destroyed her life?

Stumbling along the beach, she came across a tunnel of rock. Through it she saw the ocean, as well as a girl- she looked familiar- sleeping on the beach. She was snoring loudly. Why was her brain trying to associate her to the boy who had saved her? Meena started through the tunnel, but slipped on something and went down hard. Groping in the darkness, she found what had made her fall- a stick, perfectly smooth. Probably smoothed by long years in the ocean. Meena looked down at the stick and noted the intricate carvings, and was on the point of deciding it was not common sea-debris when a tremendous BANG made her head snap up so fast her neck cricked.

But she didn't even bother rubbing it.

Meena's mouth dropped open, small eyes wide and literally bulging as she saw a torrent of flame heading straight towards the beach with unnatural speed.

Before she could do more than give a cry of undiluted terror and throw her arms uselessly over her face, the explosion had reached her in all its terrible fury.

***

The remainder of Thunderclan was growing restless. Where were the warriors and apprentices? It had been a very long while since they left. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a wail.

"Firestar is dead!"

There was no time to react, because at that moment, a large explosion flattened that section of the forest, and the cats within it.

***

Humming to himself as he strode towards the beach, Harry's egoistic thoughts were interrupted by a tremendous BOOM.

Now, Harry may be a fool, but he _was_ excellent at defensive magic- he had killed Voldemort, after all- and he _did _have good reflexes. So, when he saw a great wall of fire rushing towards him, he had raised his wand and cast _protego _over himself before his mind had even processed what was about to happen.

When his mind did catch up, he had just enough time to yell "SHIT!" before the flames had engulfed him. His charm flickered, held steady, then gave away. The last of the heat hit Harry, and he fell unconscious, burning debris drifting from the sky to land on his lifeless form.

***

Capt. Haddock smiled to himself. He had shown those owls. He was willing to bet they wouldn't be bothering him anymore. No siree. In fact, he would go mock them right now. Capt. Haddock walked to the front door, and swung it open. Then stared in horror at what was lying on his front porch. A dead dog? It seemed to have been hacked apart. What were those owls doing? This was BEYOND too far. Suddenly, Capt, Haddock heard a loud boom. He didn't have time to react before the explosion sent him flying into his fridge, which fell on him. "Darn owls" Capt Haddock muttered with his final breath, then he died.

***

Peter blinked, opening his eyes slowly. What was going on? There had been an explosion...he remembered that much. He looked around. He was seeing things from higher up than usual. Was he dead? He hoped not- he was feeling pretty uncomfortable.

He then noticed that he was being held up by something. Arms? Peter looked up. An extremely red-headed man was carrying him.

"What's going on?" Peter snapped. "Where's my wheelchair? PUT ME DOWN!" He wasn't about to be carried about like a baby.

---

"So-" Ron began. But he was interrupted by a loud, but distant, boom. He jumped and twisted around in his bench. "What the bloody hell do you reckon that was?" he asked. Then he saw the flames reaching over the trees. Ron stared for a second, then as the flames were about to reach him, whipped out his wand and bellowed "PROTEGO!"

Tintin shrugged. "No cl-" he started to reply, before the wall of flames came at them. Ha. They couldn't even touch him. Tintin was a bit surprised that the flames avoided the others as well. Had he suddenly grown even more powerful? Cool.

***

Alice glided through the forest, discouraged. She hadn't been able to locate the mysterious red haired boy, having searched everywhere in a mile's radius of the crash site.

She had discovered, to her surprise, that the commotion had not come from an explosion at all. A bus carrying a group of kids had crashed, leaving them hurt and lost, no knowledge of where they were. There had been at least five teenagers, and Alice guessed that the boy who was presently staying at her house was one of them.

Alice let her mind wander, her eyes trailing over the details of the damp foliage, planning to arrive home in a few minutes.

Hogwarts. What a name. She wondered why she had never heard about such a place. Surely a school that sophisticated would have been on the academics radar, wouldn't it?

But maybe it was a private school, only available to the highest in the society.

Yet that didn't explain the strange, black robes.

And Carlisle... Where was he?

It wasn't like him to be unreachable like this. He knew that Edward was a little paranoid, carefully watching over Bella . He would have told them if he was planning on taking a quick hunting trip, or if there had been an emergency.

And to top it all off, it appeared she was moving slower then usual.

Suddenly there was a loud noise, like a crack of thunder, only ten times louder. Immediately, Alice smelled smoke, and whirled around to watch the ocean set on fire. Trees got blown out of the ground, their roots splaying out all over the sky. People screamed, shrapnel flew into the air, deadly weapons.

Alice just stood there, her mouth wide open, a few bits of metal hitting her body and bouncing off, like they had hit a rock.

She shook her head. This just wasn't a good day for tourists.

Alice watched the billowing cloud of black smoke rise up to the clouds, flames accompanying it, burning the lovely greenery.

She had to help them, save them. She had to head to the beach and get those people out of there...

Alice instinctively started running in the direction of the horrific destruction, but froze, remembering a crucial fact.

Edward. His name penetrated her thoughts, her body. If anything had happened back there, to Edward, to Bella, to the boy...

Alice sprinted towards the house as fast as she could.

"Alice!" Bella cried, her voice as smooth as silk. "There was an explosion down at the harbour!"

Alice froze in her tracks, eyes widening as the newly transformed Bella paraded through The Cullen's doorway, her face pale, her lustrous brown hair shining, and her eyes... bright red, outlined with midnight black. Bella appeared to be at ease, embracing Alice so hard that it hurt.

"Bella!" Alice gasped, her jaw hanging open. "You're transformed! Already! But... how?"

"I don't know. The process seemed to have sped up for me." Bella zipped around Alice, a blur of contentment, barely visible. She bounded up the front steps, and into Edward's arms, his face displaying a mix of emotions. He didn't say anything, but Alice could tell that this was all very hard for Edward to process.

"Isn't it amazing?" Bella breathed, grinning. "Everything is just so... different."

"Edward?" Alice eyed her brother suspiciously, her eyes narrowed. "What exactly happened while I was gone?"

Edward sighed, frowning. He seemed nervous, like he was planning on how he was going to tell her something. "Bella seemed to have... transformed early." He spoke softly, biting his lower lip. "I thought it would take a few days, but apparently, it only took a few hours. Which leads me to believe that Bella may be more powerful then the average vampire." There was a hint of resentment in his voice, but Alice couldn't quite place it.

"What do you mean?" Alice whispered, Bella now just as solemn as Edward. "Just how much more powerful?"

"I have to be honest." Edward replied, grabbing Bella's hand in a swift motion. "I don't know. But... A while after you left, Bella woke up, more alert then ever. And I found myself, well, feeling different. Lacking a certain... edge."

"Yes," Alice nodded slowly, carefully wording her sentence. "I think I know what you mean."

"You feel slower, don't you?" Bella's face was dark, saddened by what had happened. "I'm so sorry. It seemed that as soon as I was strong enough, and, well, fully transformed, I affected everyone around me."

Alice suddenly shook her head, exasperated. "Please. This is all moving a little to fast. Can we just... slow down? What happened after I left?"

"Okay, we'll take it slow." Edward held out his hands in surrender. "But before we do that... we kind of have a little problem to take care of."

Alice caught Edward's knowing stare, eyebrows raised. It only took her a brief second to realize what he meant.

"Oh." Alice pursed her lips in concentration, her eyes flickering to Bella, and then back to Edward. "Tell me, Bella, how do you feel right now?"

"Edward already told me all about that." Bella sighed, looking down at the ground. "It's true, I am thirsty. Very thirsty, in fact. Yet... I think that my unusual transformation may have affected that part of me as well."

"Meaning..." Alice prompted Bella, eager for more information.

"Bella's somehow able to resist attacking the boy inside, only a few meters away from us right now, sleeping." Edward explained, quickly looking over his shoulder into the house. "It's incredible."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Bella whispered, her voice growing quiet. "I really don't."

***


	7. The Halifax Explosion: Part 2

Absolute silence... wait, not absolute- the ocean was making a soft slap-slap against the beach...

Meena opened one eye, hands still over her face. When she registered the fact she was not dead, she opened both eyes and looked around.

There was a perfect circle a few feet across around where Meena was standing. She stared at it, bewildered, then at the ground outside the circle- charred black, flaming pieces of debris everywhere, and strange white shapes scattered throughout. Meena bent and picked one up.

"Bones," she whispered faintly. She looked outside of the tunnel. The girl wasn't there anymore.

Dropping the girl's bones as if scalded, Meena sprinted outside of the tunnel, doubled over, and vomited on the destroyed beach.

***

Count Olaf leapt to his feet. "No!" he cried, his voice strangled.

"Sunny!" shouted Violet and Klaus in unison. They did not believe the ray would turn their little sister into a vampire, but they want her exposed to unidentifiable radiation.

Sunny closed her eyes and cried out, small body twisting in pain.

Olaf hurriedly backed away. "I can still make this work," he tells the Baudelaires. "I'll come back to retrieve your bodies."

Count Olaf ripped open the door, ran outside, and slammed it behind him. The lock gives and audible _click,_ but Violet and Klaus are too preoccupied over their sister's condition to care that they are trapped.

"Sunny, are you okay?" asked Violet anxiously.

"How do you feel?" interjected Klaus.

Suddenly, Sunny's back arched and her eyes flew open. She cried out again, then the metal pegs chaining her to the wall are ripped out. She falls to the ground in a heap of dust and metal.

***

Harry came to slowly. His clothing was completely burnt off, and he was drenched in blood. Nothing Hermione couldn't fix. But he had survived, and was feeling pleased with himself as a result. "Nobody," he announced aloud, "could have blocked _that._ It takes a powerful wizard to even survive and explosion that big. And I wasn't even at... the... the..."

Harry clapped his hands over his mouth. _The beach!_ Hermione was there! She wouldn't have been able to block that powerful of an explosion!

With a ragged cry, Harry began sprinting towards the beach.

***

Rivulets of sweat dripped from Ron's temples, but he managed, through force of sheer will, to keep the shield up. He was incredibly lucky to have been far away from the source of whatever that was. He'd be burned to a crisp otherwise.

"What was _that_?" asked Ron.

***

Nancy Drew listened hard and caught most of the conversation.

What disturbed Nancy more then the words was watching the girl who had apparently 'transformed' run around. She was so fast, she was a blur. She listened carefully, trying to figure out what they were saying. A certain sentence made the blood fade from her face.

---

"So you're saying that you have no desire to, you know, taste human blood?" Alice asked again, her eyes wide with surprise. If Bella could ignore her desires, that could help them out in so many ways. But there was still much more to discuss, so many details to work out.

"That would be wonderful." Bella sighed wistfully, rubbing her hands together. "But I do have a desire, something that I would have never imagined. Yet as soon as I think about hurting another living being, my bloodlust just... disappears. I would never want to do something so terrible, and it seems as though I can control myself."

"That's... amazing." Alice nodded, truly fascinated. "That will be a great advantage on your part, Bella."

"Indeed." Edward cracked a smile, looking forced. "We can't be to sure, though. Bella may still not be strong enough to-"

There was a loud, crumbling noise, as if a giant boulder had fallen from the sky and was cracking the trees. The three of them instantly turned towards the house.

"Your house!" Bella cried, a piercing shriek. "It's collapsing!"

***

Nancy stuck her fist in her mouth to keep from screaming. They were vampires. They weren't just fooling around, no one else was there, there would be no other reason to make up stuff about vampires.

And she was so close to them.

A rumble made her turn. It came from the house she was leaning on. She could feel the vibrations against her back. It took her a second to realize what was going on.

The explosion on the beach. It must have caused...

Nancy nearly screamed again as she crawled around the side of the house, trying to remain out of sight. If they saw her... As soon as she was around the corner, she ran flat-out towards the forest.

***

Harry ran towards the beach, breath coming out is short spasms.

""Her... mi... one," he gasped out as he bursts into the beach. There was charred rubble everywhere. He whipped out his wand and cast homo revelus. To his relief, he felt another person on the beach."

"Hermione!" he cried as he ran towards the spot. "I was worr-"

He stopped. It wasn't Hermione- it was the Asian girl he had saved.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked desperately.

"Who?" answered the girl quietly.

"Hermione!" Harry repeated, frustrated. "My friend! Brown hair, fairly short..."

The girl's face falls. "I saw her," she answers slowly. "Before the explosion..."

"Yes?" asked Harry, feeling misgivings.

"Then I didn't see her anymore," finished the girl.

Harry felt a flicker of hope. Maybe she apparated away! In that case, she'd be at Hogwarts.

"I'll find her," he muttered to himself viciously. "But first I have to find the magic... user..."

He trailed of as he looked at the girl. She's the only one left of the three people he rescued, so she must be the one who can use magic.

"How exactly did you survive the explosion?" asks Harry.

Meena blinked, startled by the boy's rapid change of topic. Did he not care that his friend was burned to a crisp?

"I... I don't know," she answered. Meena bit her lip. What would the boy say if he discovered the strange way she had survived?

***

"No!" Alice cried, her voice hollow, knowing that there was nothing she could do. Her shoulders slumped, and she reached out to grasp at nothing, her hand enclosing on a blank space.

"The explosion must have caused your house to crumble." Bella whispered sympathetically, patting Alice on the back. "I'm sure it can be repaired."

"Yeah." Alice agreed reasonably, slowly walking towards the demolished house. The roof had collapsed, sending planks of wood and debris plummeting onto the floor, damaging the walls. From the looks of it, it could probably be fixed in a few weeks.

Alice bent down, and picked up a piece of black wood from the front steps, her face morbid. "There goes the piano."

Bella turned to Edward, watching as he stood in front of the house, eyes locked on the front door. His body was frozen, his hands clenched into tight little balls at his sides.

"Edward?" She murmured, touching his cheek with the back of her hand. "It's all right. I'm sure nothing got too bent out of shape."

When he didn't move, Alice got up and came over, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, Edward." She grimaced, her face tight. "Look on the bright side. At least none of us were in the house when it collapsed..." Alice froze, her mouth making a perfect "O" formation.

Suddenly Edward broke, sprinting into the wreck.

***

Sunny!" cried Violet and Klaus.

Sunny stiffened, then stood up. Her eyes were still closed.

"You're okay!" said Klaus, relieved.

Then Sunny opened her eyes.

They were bright red.

***

Mia jumped at the sound of a distant boom. Danny jerked awake. "Wha-" he began. Then flames hit the hospital. Windows broke, people screamed...

"Let's get out of here!" shouted Danny, leaping to his feet. He was completely disoriented. Where was he? Where was the man with red hair?"

Mia screwed her eyes shut and gave a long moan. She can't see; the colours brought on by sound are all around her, blinding her...

The she felt herself being carried towards the exit. Danny had picked Mia up, confused by her inability to move but never even _considering_ leaving her behind and saving himself.

The pair make it out of the door just as the flaming hospital collapses behind them, the screams rapidly drowned out by creaks and crashes. Danny was thrown forward by the wall of debris that hit him, Mia flying out of his arms. He curled up into a protective ball and waited for the silence that would inevitably come.

***

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You have to come with me anyways."

The girl looked bewildered. "Why?" she asked.

Harry bit his lip thoughtfully. Should she tell her that she could use magic, or just force her to come with them? Maybe she already knew...

"Have you ever noticed," Harry began carefully. "Odd things happening around you when you're angry or scared? Maybe someone who tried to attack you getting injured in some way?"

Meena bit back a sarcastic laugh. Right. Whatever this boy was going on about, it didn't apply to her. If she could fight well enough for someone who attacked her to be injured, then she wouldn't have been raped by Steven, would she?

"No," she managed to get out. "Leave me alone."

She turned to leave, but the boy called after her. "Wait- you have magic!"

Harry felt a bit embarrassed that he had, once again, blurted something out without thinking about it, but at least the girl had stopped.

Meena turned. It was ridiculous- there was no such thing as magic. But the circle... what she had thought was a dream where she was floating...

"Prove it," she said softly, not daring to hope for anything yet. "Prove to me that magic is real."

Harry gave the girl a half-smile, glad she was at least waiting for him to convince her instead of storming off. He didn't want to mess this up- not like last time, in any case.

What was something simple that there was no way he could screw up?

Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the girl. "_Wingardium Leviosa"_ he muttered. To his relief, nothing bad happened to her- she floated three feet into the air and stopped. Her eyes widened and she looked down at the ground with an odd expression on her face. Harry let her down and waited for her response.

This had to be a dream, there was no way this was real... when the boy lifted the spell, or whatever it was, she fell to her hands and knees on the beach, mind racing. He had used a stick- a magic instrument of some kind. And she had a stick almost identical to his in her pocket right now. Maybe it was the girl's. That would explain a lot. But if she could use magic... she could get her revenge on Steven after all. She'd never be helpless again!

Longing of such intensity that she actually has to choke back a moan filled Meena.

She looked up at the boy, who was watching her with a stupid expression on his face.

"Teach me," she whispered.

***


	8. The Halifax Explosion: Part 3

Bella and Alice raced into the collapsed house behind Edward, attempting to catch up with him. They stopped when they reached the living room, where sparks of electricity are shooting from the broken television and feathers from their lacy pillows are scattered all over the floor. They then start hauling the cracked wood off of the sofa. A few seconds later, Edward had retrieved Jeremy's body from the destruction, and placed him on the mangled carpet before them.

Edward examined him, his face dark, carefully dabbing at Jeremy's head wound with the tail of his shirt. There were dark stains all over Jeremy's clothing, seeping through and dripping on the ground.

"I can't be certain," Alice whispered, her voice soft, cautious. "But... I think he's dead."

"No." Edward muttered, shaking his head profusely. "No. He can't be."

Bella turned to face Edward, her face hard with concern. She reached out to touch his shoulder with the tips of her fingers, hesitated, then pulled away. "Edward," Bella told him firmly, frowning. "This was a horrific accident, true. But don't you think that you're taking this a little too far?"

Edward flinched, stiffening with embarrassment. "I guess your right." He spoke quietly, solemnly. He stood up, brushing the dust off of his jeans.

Alice picked up Jeremy in a smooth motion, holding him in her arms. "We should probably go bring Jeremy to his friend, Harry." Alice winced sympathetically. "I'm sure he'll want to know what happened."

***

Harry was taken aback by the excitement in the girl's voice, but he shook off his misgivings and smiled. "Of course," he said. "But I'm not a teacher, so you'll have to come back to Hogwarts with me when we-"

"Hogwarts?" interrupted the girl.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," clarified Harry.

The girl nodded, expression inscrutable. "Where is it?"

Harry, a bit put out that he couldn't finish explaining, answered "In England. I can't say where- it's a secret."

"How will we get there?" asked the girl.

Now visibly annoyed, Harry replied shortly. "Apparating... er, teleporting."

The girl's eyes widened. "You can teleport?"

_Finally_ she was impressed. Harry smiled and puffed out his chest. "Yes. It is _very _difficult, but I passed the Apparation test."

"Can you teach me to Apparate?" asked the girl.

Harry scowled.

"You have to learn the basics first!" he cried. "Which is why we're going to Hogwarts. I have to find my friends first though."

"Can't _you_ teach me the basics?" asked the girl.

Harry thought about it. Wouldn't it be amazing if he, Harry, were the one to personally teach the newcomer to use magic?

"Oh fine," he said, smiling. Let's see what your potential is."

***

"Sunny?" asked Klaus, voice uncertain.

Sunny looked at him and smiled. But it wasn't a happy "it's-okay-I'm-fine" smile; it looked considerably closer to the smile someone would give when they saw that their favourite restaurant was giving away free fillet mignon.

"Sunny?" repeated Klaus. "Are you okay?"

Sunny leapt at Klaus, so fast that she was a blur. Violet gasped as Sunny ripped the chains out of the wall and dropped Klaus onto the floor.

"Wow- thank y-" began Klaus. But before he could finish, Sunny jumped onto him and bit off his head- in the literal sense.

Violet screamed and Sunny looked up, still smiling, Klaus's blood dripping off her chin. She then leapt at Violet, teeth bared. Violet tried to pull away, but the chains held her fast. Sunny began to rip them out of the wall too, but Violet saw something that gave her some hope; Olaf had left behind his harpoon gun, which was lying just out of reach. So as soon as Sunny had freed her, she threw herself across the room. Sunny wasn't expecting that, and was a split-second slower to react.

Lifting the harpoon gun, Violet emptied the hooks into Sunny just as she had leapt for Violet's throat.

A hook through each eye and one through the throat, Sunny staggered back, then collapsed.

Violet, meanwhile, curled up into a ball and began to cry.

***

The three of them make their way out front towards the garage.

"Amazing," Alice shook her head, rolling her eyes. "The whole house gets wrecked, but the cars are still completely intact."

"I guess this roof was more sturdy then the other one." Bella suggested, eyeing the horizon, the moon just beginning to light up the dark sky. "I do wonder how the explosion was caused, though."

"I was in the forest when it happened." Alice informed them, grimacing. She pointed in the direction of the beach with a sharp movement. "Something exploded down at the harbour."

"I hope there weren't many people hurt," said Bella, her tone pessimistic.

No one replied as they stepped into the sleek silver Volvo and drove through the winding, forest path, the silence eerie. In the distance there were shouts and sirens, the police already on the devastating scene. Lights flickered along the ocean, fire illuminating the ominous sea, the moonlight dull in comparison.

They drove along the streets, most people asleep, or inside, watching the news about such chaos. Alice was directing Edward where to go, scrutinizing every alley, every park, every road, convinced that they would find the red haired boy sooner or later.

Finally Bella spoke up, her face hidden by the shadows. "I think I see someone, over there." Bella looked out of the car window, squinting. "There are three boys, sitting on a bench."

Alice focused on the spot that Bella had noticed, and held out her hand. "Edward, stop the car. I think we may have found something."

Wordlessly, Edward stomped on the brakes and brought the Volvo to an abrupt halt. The three of them got out, moving towards the bench at a slow, smooth pace.

Alice narrowed her eyes, examining the boys. There were three, like Bella had thought, but one appeared to be older then the others. He had red hair, but not like Alice had seen in her vision. Accompanying him were the other two, one with brown hair and one with, sure enough, red hair.

"Excuse me." Alice asked, sweetness dripping from her tone. "Your name is Ron, right?"

---

Nancy got up slowly. Piles of rubble surrounded her, but she was, once again, unharmed. She seemed to be very lucky when it came to near-death experiences.

Nancy listened. She could once again hear the vampires, but she couldn't tell exactly what they were saying. She inched closer to the corner, and slowly peered around. They were getting into a sleek silver car. The same as earlier- she recognized the license plate. She ran back through the forest to her own car. Even though these people scared her to death, she had to find out what they were up to.

---

Ron gave a start. "Um... yes. How did you know my name?"

Alice paused for a moment, thinking. Then she spoke clearly, her lies covered. "I met a boy named Harry, who told me to tell a red haired boy named Ron something quite important. It was just a… a lucky guess." Alice smiled, her teeth sparkling in the moonlight.

---

Nancy drove down the town streets in the direction they had been driving, looking for the strange group and their car. After ten minutes she had nearly given up. Suddenly, she saw the unmistakable silver Volvo parked outside a park. She jumped out of her car, locked it in record time, and dashed off towards the park. She could see them up ahead.

---

Bella concentrated on Alice's conversation, examining Ron. He had freckles and a button nose, but nothing to out of the ordinary.

Suddenly she heard a soft noise in the distance, the purr of a car's engine. There were footsteps, rushed, followed by the distinct clinking of car keys. Bella frowned, held her finger up to her mouth, and crept into the shadows, hidden.

"I think I hear someone coming. I'll go hide in case it's someone I know," she whispered to Edward.

---

"What did Harry say?" asked Ron, alarmed. Then he calmed himself down. Maybe Harry had found someone who could use magic.

Alice continued with her chirpy attitude. "Harry told me to tell you that-"

She stopped as soon as she felt an iron grip on her shoulder, whirling her around.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Edward held up his finger politely. "Excuse us, please."

They took a few steps backwards, and Edward spoke to Alice, his voice just a murmur in the wind. "I just heard something... strange." His face was troubled, confused. "It sounded as though that boy, Ron, was thinking about that other boy, Harry."

Alice frowned. "So?"

"So," Edward sighed. "I'm not exactly sure what to think, but he thought that maybe Harry had found someone who could use, um, well, magic." He braced himself, prepared for Alice's reaction.

Alice's eyes widened, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She giggled nervously, not wanting to upset Edward, who was taking all of this way too seriously. "Magic?" Alice remained sceptical. "Edward, you couldn't possibly believe such utter nonsense. Everyone knows there's no such thing as magic."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as vampires."

Alice pursed her lips, thoughtful. "True. There have been many strange events in the past few days. But let's not jump to any conclusions, alright? Just keep your mind open, and I'll see if I can get any more information out of him."

Edward nodded. "Agreed."

Alice took a few steps forward, then froze, her eyes searching the park. "Where's Bella?"

Edward shrugged. "She thought she heard someone coming. And now-"

"She's hiding." Alice finished for him, laughing. "Well, at least she's being cautious."

Edward grinned, following Alice back to the bench.

Ron scowled as the man- he assumed the girl's boyfriend- pulled her away. But they were fast, and before he could even consider using magic to aid his hearing and listen in to their conversation, they were back.

"Harry told you...." prompted Ron, trying not to be too annoyed she had been pulled away in the middle of a conversation.

"I'm sorry." Alice could sense that Ron was slightly annoyed at Edward's interruption in their conversation. She tried to smooth it out by smiling a warm smile. "Yes, Harry told me to tell you that he had to travel to another part of Forks, and that you're supposed to explain to us everything we need to know. I'm not exactly sure what it is we need to know, but Harry assured us that you were the right guy for the job."

---

Peter watched everything going on in a daze. After being in two different explosions, he wasn't really feeling all that well. And the red-headed man still hadn't put him down.

"I hate to interrupt," he said, feeling nothing of the sort, "but WHAT`S GOING ON?"

Tintin watched the group of strangers approach. They seemed suspicious...at least until the pixie-like one stepped out. She was...beyond words. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Tintin's jaw relaxed slightly, and he stared in awe at the beautiful creation before him. She was almost as good-looking as he was.

---

Ron ignored the other two guys and furrowed his brow, trying to work out what Harry had meant. "Maybe he meant that you had magic and I was supposed to bring you to Hogwarts," he told the girl. "But I don't know for sure."

Alice froze, her mind spinning, flashing around the word "Hogwarts." The place in her vision.

The magical place.

Alice almost slapped herself.

This whole time, she had been focused on finding this amazing castle, wondering what purpose it served. And now she knew.

"Yes, yes." Alice nodded, pretending to understand. "Harry had mentioned something about magic, but I didn't really hear him. He just looked... surprised, and was muttering something about there being three of us." She shrugged.

---

Bella stiffened. There was someone there, she could feel it. She hoped it wasn't someone she knew, knowing that it would be extremely difficult to explain her transformation.

Bella squinted, eyeing the path behind her friends. There was a slight movement, a wisp of hair out of place. But Bella wasn't close enough to distinguish who it was.

---

Ron grinned. "Well then, you have it right. Harry and I are scouts for Hogwarts- we're looking for people who have magic potential. Although I can't imagine why Harry would send you to me..."

***

Danny wandered aimlessly through the destroyed streets of the town, pushing the girl, who had been knocked unconscious, in a wheelchair he had found. Wait... there was someone ahead. Danny froze. In this eerie, deserted village, anyone could be dangerous. But he wanted to talk to someone... he was stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with no clue whether the man had sent help back to the site to save his friends.

Depression threatened to take hold of Danny, but he resisted it. He had no proof his friends were dead- none at all. Stiffening his resolve, he headed towards the various forms gathered in a park. "Hello," he called. "Has any of you seen someone who said anything about a bus exploding?"

Smoke hid the stranger's faces, and Danny felt a bit uneasy as they turned their attention towards him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

A girl came out of the gloom.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, skipping towards them. "My name is Alice, and this is Edward." She motioned towards a young man with bronze hair. "Are you lost?"

Danny stared. She seemed awfully chipper considering her town just exploded.

---

Nancy furrowed her brow at the mention of magic and Hogwarts. That sure was something. There was no doubt now that these were very strange people. Nancy used the break in weird conversation when a teen boy arrived to look around . She noticed a wisp of her strawberry-blond hair was floating away from the rest. "_Oh no! A hair emergency!"_ she thought loudly to herself. She desperately tried to pat it back into place. She just _had_ to look her best, even when snooping.

---

Peter heard a voice he recognised. Could it be? Someone else survived the explosion?

"Danny?" he said cautiously.

Danny's ears pricked up. That was Peter's voice! But he must have imagined it...

Shoving past the girl and wheeling Tintin's friend along, he squinted through the smoke and mist to try and make out who had called out.

"Peter? Is that you?"

Edward rolled his eyes, bored by this reunion. He wasn't always this rude, but he was incredibly eager to hear more about Hogwarts, the school of magic.

He was sure that Carlisle would be very interested in their discoveries, wherever he was.

"So, Ron," Edward spoke softly, trying not to interrupt the two boys' conversation. "Where is this... Hogwarts?"

---

Bella glanced up at the street light, shining over the park bench, amplifying the ominous mist. She had watched a boy by the name Danny wheel a girl over to the others, talking to them in great surprise. Maybe they knew each other from somewhere.

Bella searched the trees, her eyes alert, sensitive to any movement. A few leaves fluttering in the wind, an owl's call, but nothing out of the ordinary. No unrecognizable people in the distance.

---

"Of course it's me!" Peter called out. "Now tell this loser to put me down". Danny was alive!

"Sure thing," said Danny. He jogged over to Danny, dumped the girl onto the bench next to the redhead, and helped Peter into the wheelchair.

Tintin scowled at Peter. "Loser"? He had saved the world multiple times. He was a hero! Little children aspired to be like him when they grew up! He was extremely good-looking! "Excuse me?" he asked.

Peter rolled his eyes.

He was just happy to be back in his chair.


	9. The Halifax Explosion: Part 4

Ron edged away from the unconscious girl and looked at the stranger's boyfriend. "In Britain. Can't tell you more than that- the location's secret. So do you think you have magic or something? I should probably be getting back soon... Ron looked at the other man with red hair as well.

Edward shot Alice an unsure glance, so quickly that it was barely visible. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Yes, I do, in fact." Edward raised his eyebrows, a slightly cocky expression crossing his face. "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Alice smiled, wondering how Edward was planning to pull this off.

Ron sat up a bit straighter. "Sure- so you have a wand already? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Er," Edward filled his face with mock innocence. "To tell you the truth, our house just collapsed. And my wand was in my house. I would be glad to go and try to find it for you, though. But I have to warn you, it might take a few days to sort through all of that rubble."

Ron shrugged. "I would let you use my wand, but frankly, I don't trust you and I don't want to be unarmed. So... do the _three_ of you use magic?"

The boy in the wheelchair coughs and Ron looks at him. "We could heal your back at Hogwarts," Ron told him. "It must have been one hell of an explosion to break a spine..."

Peter rolled his eyes. This loser thought the _explosion_ had paralyzed him?

Then he froze. Wait… heal?

***

Meena tried not to show excitement as the boy handed his wand over. "What's your name, anyways?" he asks. "I'm Harry Potter, the boy who-" "I'm Meena," she says, cutting Harry off and taking the wand.

A bit put out by being interrupted, Harry begins to explain to Meena what to do. "Now you just wave..."

Harry trails off. The expression on the girl's face is _very_ disconcerting. He snatched the wand back. "On second thought, I'll just let the Hogwarts teachers tell you."

Meena opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. She had Harry's friend's wand, anyways. Besides- maybe this "Hogwarts" can teach her the most painful way to kill someone.

***

Stumbling across the flats, tears running down her face, Violet walked as fast as she could from the metal shack. Although the last thing she wanted to do now was survive, if Olaf caught her and got the Baudelaire fortune, he'd have won- all the struggles, all the mystery- it would have been for nothing.

She glanced ahead and saw a drop-off. It looked steep. And deep.

With a faint smile on her face, Violet sprints to the edge and launches herself into the abyss. Count Olaf didn't win!

***

"I'm not sure if I can." Alice spoke up, grinning, amused by this game-like conversation. "But my brother here, Edward, definitely has those skills. And now that you mention it, Bella might have them, too."

---

Nancy listened closely. So they were going to perform magic were they? Well, it was a good thing she had brought her camera. She silently rummaged through her purse, looking for her small silver digital camera. This would be enough proof.

---

Peter stared at "Ron." He could walk again? He turned to Danny. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Danny glanced at the redhead boy, confused. How would they help Peter walk? Had he missed something?  
"Okay," answered Danny. He followed Peter out of earshot. "So- what's up?"

---

Bella slowly, cautiously, carefully, made her way from the bushes to the bench, where Edward was waiting with watchful eyes. He took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly, his eyes inquisitive.

"I didn't see anyone," Bella whispered, observing the dark spaces around her. "But I don't think that it's very safe for me to be walking around Forks. If anyone were to see me, that could lead to multiple problems."

"Yes, you're right." Edward agreed just as softly, then spoke louder, obviously wanting the red haired boy, Ron, and his friends to hear him. "But guess what? Ron here has invited us to go to Hogwarts with him, to pursue our magic ability."

Bella's eyes flashed, registering what Edward was telling her. Magic? Hogwarts? What a far fetched story. But then again, when did Edward ever joke around?

---

"I don't really know" Peter replied quietly. "There was the explosion on the bus, and I woke up in the red-headed man's arms. Then, there was ANOTHER explosion, but for some reason it avoided us completely. Then, they started talking about some magical nonsense, and that's when you showed up."

---

"I know you're probably sceptical." Edward told Bella kindly, reverting to his soft whisper. "And so are quite a few others. For example, that boy over there, Peter, he's pretty confused about what Ron was talking about. But you have to trust me. His thoughts were pure, honest. There wasn't a trace of deceit to them. So what he's saying must be true."

"Or he's crazy." Bella raised an eyebrow, considering the second option. Edward laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist in a quick, smooth movement.

"Or that."

Edward grinned, his brilliant white teeth sparkling under the street light.

Bella approached Ron steadily, on guard, Edward right behind her. "Listen, Ron..." She began, her lips pursed in indecision. "I'm not sure if we're ready to leave Forks and travel to England for... however long you'd want us to stay. Do you mind telling us a little bit more about this school you were planning on taking us to? Hogwarts?"

Ron shook his head. "Sorry, it's pretty secret. Once the two guys decide whether they're coming, we can go. We'll Apparate."

"Can they use magic as well?" Bella questioned, honestly intrigued.

Ron shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't think so. The boy's back was broken in the bus explosion, so I offered to bring him to Hogwarts and heal it. But if he and his friend are taking this long to decide..."

Peter heard the others talking about him, so he wheeled himself back to the group. "I think that I would like to walk again, but how would it work?" He wanted to understand everything before going with these strange people.

Ron glanced at the boy. "I… just come with me. Harry and Hermione are probably at Hogwarts, and we don't want to miss the feast."

"Not without more info" Peter replied, his eyes narrowing. This just _screamed_ scam.

Ron shrugged. "You heal it using magic- what's there to know?"

As demonstration, he ran his finger along an exposed nail, making a narrow gash. Ron raised his wand, and the gash sealed. A single red feather also sprouted from where the gash was, but he hurriedly plucked it. "See?"

Peter winced as the man cut himself with the rusty nail. What was he doing? Did he not care in the slightest about all of the needles he'd have to get? But the demonstration seemed genuine. "All right," he sighed. He didn't really believe that they could do anything to make him walk again, but who knew.

Bella turned to Edward and Alice, shrugging. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go. If Charlie ever were to see me in town like this... it would be chaos."

"It seems like an... interesting… opportunity." Edward agreed, nodding ever so slightly, keeping his voice quiet. "Why don't we go for it? I know that Alice wants to see the beautiful castle from her recent vision."

"You bet I do!" Alice exclaimed, her tone melodically vibrant. "It was just so extraordinary, so amazing. I want you guys to see it to."

"I guess it's set then." Bella gave a slight smile, her face still dark. "Let's go to Hogwarts."

Tintin pulled himself together. Gaping at "Alice" wouldn't get him anywhere. However, she was going to the Hogwarts place...

"I'm coming too." he blurted out. Maybe he could teach his amazing powers to the younger students...

"Okay," snapped Ron. "Whoever's coming, get in a circle and hold hands."

Mia finally woke with a start. "Wha-?" she said.

"We're going to Hogwarts" Tintin informed Mia. "Come on, join the circle."

Feeling rather silly, Tintin started the circle.

"A circle?" Edward raised his eyebrows sceptical, surveying the scene. The others seemed to be okay with it, but what would they think of his ice cold skin? Edward shrugged, reaching for Bella's hand as well as Alice's, leaving them to hold on to whoever they wanted.

***

Charlie sighed, his policeman's belt clunking against his legs with every step. It had been a long day, from unexplainable explosions to unreachable passengers. The whole city was in a frenzy, trying to regain control of the devastating situations that seemed to be wreaking havoc in the usually desolate town of Forks.

He passed through the park on his way home, hoping that Bella had made it back to the house safely. He knew that she had been planning a shopping trip with Alice, and, even though he was reluctant to say it, the Cullens _did_ tend to keep a watchful eye on her. Except for those few horrific times, but that was beside the point.

"Hey, what's that up ahead?" Charlie's partner, Richard Kroft, pointed with confusion towards a small gathering of people- teenagers, by the looks of it- forming in a circle, hands joined together.

"Looks like a group of people." Charlie shrugged, unconvinced that they were doing anything wrong. "It doesn't seem like they're breaking any laws."

Richard pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Isn't there a no loitering rule stated somewhere in the policeman's manual? Down at the station?"

Charlie nodded, remembering the specific law. "Ah, yes. Rule one oh four. Come on, let's go break it up."

***

"So we're going to... Apparate?" asked Meena, excitement mounting again.

"Well... yes," answered Harry.

"Now?" asked Meena.

Harry paused. He should probably wait for the others... but Meena seemed convinced she had magic, and he could just go and drop her off...

"Yes, now," answered Harry. "Hold my hand and we'll be off."

Meena took Harry's hand somewhat hesitantly- she was still nervous when anyone touched her- but firmly all the same. He was her key to magic.

"One... two... three..."

"AIIIIIIIIIIE!" a scream echoed to them a split second after Harry had turned on the spot.

Then they were gone.

***

Violet was falling towards the rocky beach. She was completely relaxed. Everything seemed to be happening slowly.

But wait... there were _people_ on the beach- and she was falling right at them!

This concerned Violet. Sure, she wanted to die- but she didn't want to kill anyone- anyone _else_ while taking her own life.

"Look ou-" she began.

But then she was upon them. They didn't seem to notice her. They were holding hands, but there seemed to be no attraction between them...

All this Violet took in the split second before she collided with... nothingness.

***

"Okay, you're going to feel like you're going through a tunnel, but it's perfectly s-"

Ron trailed off as he saw the policemen entering the park.

"Turn towards us with your hands in the air!" shouted the shorter of the two.

Ron squeezed the hands of the people on either side of him- the boy in the wheelchair and the girl his friend had saved- to show that they weren't going to obey.

Then the policemen pulled out their guns.

It was time to go.

"Hold on tight!" shouted Ron. He concentrated and turned on the spot, not realizing he was bringing more people along by side-apparation than anyone had ever done before.

There were gunshots, then the group had vanished.

---

Bella's eyes widened in fear as two sturdy looking policemen joined them in the park, their faces firm. But not just any policemen. One of them was Charlie!

She gripped Edward's hand tightly, holding on to another girl as well. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that they would leave soon, getting away from Charlie's view.

She could hear the red haired boy, Ron, explaining what was going to happen, when suddenly her father's partner, Richard Kroft, started shouting out furious orders.

Bella slowly opened her eyes, realizing that they weren't going anywhere. She forced herself to peek at Charlie's expression, wondering if he had seen her yet.

It was angry, frustrated with the group, but not shocked by her appearance.

"Oh, no." Bella heard Alice's soft, sympathetic whisper trail in the breeze. "They're going to shoot us!"

"Hold on tight!" Ron yelled, his voice loud, yet nearly inaudible under the sound of two gunshots.

The next thing Bella knew, she felt herself lighten, and hit solid ground. But it was too late. She had heard Charlie urgently call her name.

---

Nancy could tell that the group was about to do something. Probably magical, considering the number of strange things most of the group had been doing. And on second thought... maybe they had caused the explosion!

Without thinking, Nancy leapt up and sprinted towards the group. She had to find out more. This was important. She grabbed onto the bronze-haired boy's shirt, and less then a second later, she was gone with them.

---

Thirrin appeared with a pop in the middle of a park. It smelled faintly of smoke. She looked around, hoping someone could help her find somewhere to stay. She noticed a large group of strange people. They could probably help.

She stalked over, and tapped the young, bronze-haired boy on the back. "Excuse me, where-" Before she knew what had happened, she was flying at what seemed like light-speed.

Again.

---

"Bella!" Charlie cried, catching a glimpse of her white face. She looked different- something about her pallor and unnatural beauty reminded him inexplicably of Edward. And the rest of the Cullens.

Suddenly she- and the rest of the group- disappeared, leaving nothing behind, except for two equally stunned policemen. And two deadly bullets shooting towards them, zipping through the air.

"Oh, for Pete's sake-" Charlie felt a sharp pain in his chest, and saw his world go black.


	10. Off to Hogwarts: Part 1

Off to Hogwarts

_What, you thought the story would start making sense?_

Ron felt very dizzy. The apparation was not going the way it was supposed to. It felt like he was slogging through mud while carrying a ten-ton weight.

But then he felt cool air on his face and opened his eyes.

"Where on earth," he began, looking around. "Did we end up?"

The others were looking at him with expressions that said "_you_ tell _me._"

Ron turned away and looked around. He could see mountains in the distance... maybe the same that surrounded Hogwarts?

In any case, he was _not_ going to try apparating with all those people again. They'd do this the old-fashioned way.

Ron began to walk towards the mountains.

***

Harry, who had had considerably less strain on his apparating than Ron, appeared on the doorstep of Hogwarts, the anti-apparating spells down for the occasion. He grinned, then turned to Meena- but she wasn't there. Then he registered the fact there was a scared-looking girl suspended above him. One of her hairs was brushing the top of his head. Which, apparently, was enough to bring her along when he had apparated.

"Erm- hello?" said Harry, stepping away from the girl. The moment she had lost contact -with him, she fell to the ground. Her eyes widened. "What- where- who-"

--

Violet took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "We were on the beach!" she exclaimed. "And now... we're not." She looked around. Maybe she was dead. This didn't _look_ like any version of heaven she had heard of. Then again, it didn't look like hell either. What did that mean? Was she actually being forgiven for killing her own sister?

At that thought, Violet collapsed into renewed sobs.

Harry stood awkwardly and was about to try and comfort the girl when Meena appeared with a sharp "crack!" beside him.

"Where were you?" he demanded.

"I..." Meena looked very confused. "I don't know," she said.

"It's not a lie," thought Meena.

What had _actually _happened was that Harry had begun to... Apparate... but at the last moment Meena had seen the girl falling towards them. She wanted to help the girl, catch her and stop her fatal fall, and had simply stopped herself from vanishing alongside Harry. She had no idea how she had done it. But the girl had vanished too, leaving Meena stuck on the beach. She was wondering what to do when she realized that she could feel the place where Harry had vanished. A rip in space. So she had followed it. It had been ridiculously easy- she had stepped into it while turning on the spot as Harry had done, closing her eyes and pulling herself along the invisible line until she had ended up here.

Meena pulled herself out of her thoughts in time to hear Harry finish some long-winded speech. "...after all, it's impossible to follow someone who's disapparated."

***

Tintin landed on the hard ground. He glanced around. Where was the school? Maybe it was hidden. It certainly didn't seem to be standing among the sparse trees and rocks. But Ron started to walk away. Tintin followed.

Peter landed with a jolt...somewhere. He ignored his surroundings, staring instead at Ron. He was LOST? They could be ANYWHERE? As Ron headed off towards the mountains in the distance, Peter followed with a sigh. This rough terrain would be hard on his chair.

Nancy felt air whoosh around her, like she was being squeezed down some tight air-duct. She closed her eyes, hoping it would end, and next thing she knew, she was on the ground. She opened her eyes slowly, spat out some dirt she had in her mouth, and turned towards the rest of the group, wondering what they were going to say.

The moment Thirrin tapped the boy on the shoulder, she felt like she was in a hurricane. Blurry shapes zoomed by her, but they were going so fast she couldn't tell what they were. And then it all stopped. She fell, face-first, onto the ground.

"It worked!" Bella rolled her eyes as Alice squealed in delight, one step closer to the magical building in her vision.

She glanced around, studying her surroundings. The red haired boy, Ron, had started a quick pace towards the treacherous looking mountains, followed by Peter, the boy in the wheelchair. She was surrounded by the others, equally shocked with their sudden appearance.

"Okay, that was strange." Edward's firm voice was easily recognizable He was leaning against a sturdy oak tree, arms folded across his chest. "How did he do that?"

"I'm not sure." Bella answered, her eyes wide. "You don't think...?"

Edward shrugged. "Possibly."

"I doubt it." Alice motioned with her hand for them to start walking as well. "I still don't believe in magic."

Ron led the group to the mountains and through a valley. They were silent, but Ron could feel their doubt. Then he crested a ridge and saw the familiar silhouette of Hogwarts castle.

"We're nearly there!" he announced. Then he heard a commotion behind him.

---

Peter sighed. His arms were getting very tired from going over all the bumps and hills. Maybe just coasting for a little while would give him a bit of a break. He went a little ways up the nearest mountain, then began rolling down in the direction they were headed. Ah, that was better.

Tintin continued determinedly towards the school. He couldn't wait to show off his amazing skills to all the students. Maybe they would make him headmaster...that would be cool. Lost in thought, Tintin didn't hear the shouts until it was nearly too late. "Tintin, get out of the way!" He glanced around. Peter's wheelchair was headed straight for him. Tintin laughed. As if _that_ weak thing could hurt him! He was Tintin! Instead, he stared it down, stepping away at just the last second. The chair clipped his heel.

Suddenly, Tintin knew nothing but pain. Excruciating pain. Not just in his foot, but throughout his perfect body. What was going on? Tintin felt as if he were being burned, shot, cut, and flattened- all at the same time. He felt relieved when it began to fade away, leaving nothing but soothing darkness. Then, he knew no more.

Alice skipped along the mountain side, eagerly studying the scenery as she went. She didn't want to miss out on seeing the amazing castle, especially since from up here it was so easy to see everything for miles.

Alice was overjoyed when she heard Ron's enthusiastic shout. They were nearly there! She quickened her step, passing a few of the others, and joined Ron, surveying her surroundings.

She gasped, immediately seeing the faint outline of the extraordinary castle, the one that she had been thinking about ever since her vision. It seemed more magical then before, glowing with warm shades of yellow, orange, red, and pink, as the sun rose up from the nearby hills. There was a misty lake surrounding Hogwarts, outlined by a dark forest. She gazed at the trees a second longer then everything else, noticing how eerie and ominous it appeared.

"Hey, Ron?" Alice gently nudged Ron with the tip of her elbow, whispering into his ear. "What's that forest?"

Ron glanced dismissively at the forest. "It's just the Forbidden Forest. I don't advise you to go in there. There are dangerous things in it."

***

Harry turned away from Meena and the other girl and rapped on the door. No answer.

He pushed it open slowly...

"WELCOME TO HOGWARTS SUMMER TRAINING!" boomed a loud voice.

Confetti and streamers fell from the awnings, and a fanfare of trumpets sounded.

Harry just stared.

When the festivities had cleared, he saw Dumbledore himself standing in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Welcome!" he said. Then he looked at the small group of people and his enthusiasm faded.

"Are these all the people you could find?" he asked Harry.

Harry cringed at the disappointment in the headmaster's voice. He had done a bad job at something! How was that possible?

Dumbledore sighed, turning away from the small group of students. "Ah well" he muttered. "We may as well eat." With a wave of his wand, a mountain of food appeared on each of the tables. "Help yourselves" he told the new students, before striding confidently back up to his customary seat at the front of the room.

***

Alice gave a slight snicker, trying to be as polite as possible. "Oh, alright. I wouldn't want to be meddling with dangerous creatures."

Bella lingered at the back of the group, in awe of all that had happened. She was amazed at her transformation. It had been done so fast!

She loved the feel of her new senses, the way she could hear even the faintest noises, smell the scent of everything, able to spin around gracefully in a split second. It was fantastic, being a vampire.

"Aren't you thirsty?" Bella smiled as Edward's familiar voice came from behind her, sounding worried.

"Oh course I am." Bella took Edward's outstretched hand, marvelling over how warm he felt to her touch. "But... whenever I think about hurting another human, it passes. Wasn't that how it was for you?"

"Er... yes, in a way." Edward shrugged, his face hard. He was noticeably focused on something, trying to solve a question that he was holding on to. Bella kissed his cheek, and suddenly pulled away, sniffing the air in alarm.

"No." The little colour remaining in Edward's face drained away. He clutched Bella's hand tighter, his knuckles white. "It can't be."

"What's that smell?" Bella's eyes narrowed, eyeing the top of the mountain. Slowly her features relaxed, a look of longing crossing her face. "It's so... inviting."

Bella started jogging towards the smell.

"Bella!" Edward regained his strong voice, still gripping her fingers. "Just ignore it! Please!"

--

Ron shook his head in disbelief of the girl's lack of respect of magical creatures. Then he spotted to girls who seemed to be hanging back, looking confused. They hadn't been in the circle...

And the red-haired man was sprawled on the ground. He seemed alright; other than a cut on his heel, that is. Ron was much more worried about the strangers.

"Hey, you!" he called out. "Come over here! Who are you?"

--

Bella came to a shuddering halt, spinning around to face Edward, her eyes flaming. When she spoke, nothing came out but a shamed whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Edward placed his hand on his shoulder, calming a little. It was phenomenal that she was able to control herself like this, especially since there was a fresh source of blood only meters away. If he hadn't practiced self restraint, who knew what he would have done in similar circumstances?

"It's alright." Edward forced a reassuring smile, slightly frazzled by the current stream of events. There was just so much going on, from explosions to transformations, from unpredictable visions to magic. It would probably be a lot harder if everyone's minds weren't so silent.

Speaking of which, why _were_ everyone's minds so silent?

"No, it's not." Bella insisted, shoving his hand away with a surprising amount of force. "I almost lost my control a second ago. I could have hurt someone."

"No, no." Edward shook his head, distracted. Now that he thought about it, the last jumble of words that he had heard in someone's head, other then his own, had been back at the park, right before they had all teleported to this distant land. Of course he wasn't able to hear Bella's thoughts, he never could. But what could explain the distinct lack of human chatter that usually filled his mind? The unusual silence? The feeling of emptiness?

Was the teleporting to blame? Or was it this strange, unfamiliar world? Edward had been to many places before, but none compared to this magical landscape. He had to get to the bottom of this.

"Edward?" Bella asked. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, everything's fine." Edward tried to put on his reassuring smile once again, but all he could manage was a grimace. "Look, I have to go talk to Alice. I'll be back in a moment, okay?"

"Okay." Bella nodded, appearing unconvinced. She narrowed her eyes, sceptical, but let it go, shrugging it off. "I think we're almost there, though."

"Perhaps." Edward started to run towards his sister, a slight urgency to his step.


	11. Off to Hogwarts: Part 2

Nancy marched up the hill after the red-haired boy. This was seriously annoying. She needed hairspray badly. A total of five hairs were out of place now!

She turned slowly as a shout rang out, clearly directed towards her. "I'm Nancy Drew," she said in a confident voice, yet thinking the worst.

Thirrin looked over as someone shouted at her. "I'm Thirrin," she said loudly. "And I'm lost, since I just got teleported after being teleported, and I'd like to know where I am."

"How did you come along though?" asked Ron, irritated. "And why don't you just come over so I don't have to shout?" he added to the redhead.

Nancy's head raced as she thought up a valid excuse. "Uh, well you see... There were these policemen, and they were about to shoot, and so I was going to knock you guys down, like in those movies, but instead I teleported, and I don't know why." She finished off with a hopefully confused-innocent expression.

Thirrin trudged over to the red-head. "You see, I was doing this experiment, and then it went sort-of wrong, and so I ended up in that park. I was about to ask for directions when I got teleported again. So... I have no idea what's going on." Thirrin frowned. Now that she thought about it, she should be angry. She might never see her friends again! Not to mention what had happened to Oskan and Maggie…

Ron glanced at both of them.

"Well, you may as well follow us. It seems you're both a long way from home."

Smiling a bit at the thought, he went back to the girl, who was talking to her boyfriend. Rather than interrupt, he set himself up to overhear.

Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. He had believed her story. She _was_ quite a good liar though. Now she really needed a mirror...

---

Bella watched as Edward quickly moved towards Alice, . She stuffed her hands into her jean pockets, ones that Edward had leant her since her old ones had gotten covered in blood.

She tried to focus on her surroundings, watching the clouds float by, gazing at the foliage that sent a warm aroma of fresh morning dew into the air. But every once in a while, she would get that mouth watering whiff of blood, one that would make her clench her fists and grind her teeth together. It was just so tempting, sending detailed pictures into her mind, penetrating her thoughts. Delicious wetness passing over her lips, into her mouth, satisfying her thirst. What if she doubled back to check what had happened? Surely that would be acceptable- the blood obviously meant that someone had been hurt… and if they were already dead, drinking from a dead body was no sin, either.

Bella slowly glanced around, checking for the others. They were all quite a ways ahead, almost out of her view. She doubted they'd notice if she took a little detour… besides, Edward was busy with Alice. She'd be back before anyone knew she was gone; content, smiling, satisfied.

"Alice!" called Edward, running in her direction. He had a dark look plastered on his face, his voice full of fresh alarm. Alice could sense that something was wrong, so she quickly slipped away from Ron and brought him to the side.

"Is Bella alright?" That was the first thought that hit Alice, knowing that she was prone to danger. "What happened?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Edward shook his head, frowning. His eyes were tight, looking worried. "I think that… there's something weird about this place."

Alice licked her lips, confused. "Meaning…?"

"I can't hear people's thoughts anymore." Edward whispered, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

Bella gasped, shocked by what was lying in front of her. She had cautiously followed the scrumptious scent, letting her senses lead the way. She hadn't walked far, just to the bottom of the mountain- and now she looked upon a horrific sight.

The red haired man, the one who had been sitting next to Ron and Peter, was crumpled on the ground, a red pool spread out over the soft grass, seeping from a seemingly tiny cut on his ankle. He appeared still- probably dead.

Bella pursed her lips, wondering if this was very fair. He didn't have any defence. So it didn't matter what she did from here on, did it?

She slowly sunk to her knees, letting the raging smell surround her. She lifted the man off of the ground, setting him on her lap, and pressed her teeth into his neck, savouring the sweet taste of human blood.

---

Ron finally reached the grounds, and found to his delight the Thestral-drawn carriages were waiting for them. He glanced back at the others, wondering how many of them could see the jet-black horses.

"Four to a carriage," he called back, deciding not to mention the thestrals. "They'll bring us to Hogwarts castle."

---

Alice was silent.

"So," Edward spoke nervously, trying to hide his discomfort with the unearthly situation. "What do you think could have caused this? A change of the atmosphere? Side effects to the teleportation?"

Alice frowned, upset by the circumstances. "This… isn't good, Edward. Obviously something has gone wrong, but until we're sure what, we can't jump to conclusions." She paused, thoughtful, a sudden look of worry crossing her face. "I wonder if… you're not the only one."

Edward eyes widened, processing what she had said. It could be possible, everyone losing their strongest skill, making them slightly more vulnerable.

"Try it." He whispered, careful. "See if you can still use it."

Alice nodded, closing her eyes, her expression emotionless. She pressed her palms together, focusing on the blank space in her mind, thinking of Hogwarts, trying to call it back into her head. She thought about what she had seen before, the unique castle, the still waters the dark, deserted forest.

Bella soundlessly slid to Edward's side, expecting her cheeks to be bright red with embarrassment.

She felt ashamed of what she had done, drinking the blood of another helpless human being. It had tasted so clean, so pure, yet Bella still couldn't wipe from her mind the fact that soon she would long for more, want to have that red liquid that only humans could possess. Just the thought of tasting a drop of an animal's blood disgusted her.

But then again, Bella was glad she had finally given in, put her thirst to rest. Who knew how long she could hold out? She would try to resist, knowing that if she was desperate enough, she would accept Edward's offer to go hunting with him. Then maybe, just maybe, she'd grow accustomed to the taste of animal blood, and be satisfied with the substitute.

She didn't need to hurt any more people. One human had been more then enough.

"What's with Alice?" asked Bella, snapping out of her guilty conscience. "Is she trying to have a vision?"

"Yes." Edward grimaced, his face morbid. He knew that if Alice still had her special ability, it wouldn't be taking this long. It had already been a few minutes, and so far, nothing.

Just on cue, Alice's eyes fluttered open, hollow. She stared at them with despair.

"Nothing." Alice sighed, trying to appear unaffected. She slowly raised her arm, pointing towards the bottom of the mountain in a sharp movement. "I think they're waiting for us. I can hear them getting into carriages."

"Carriages?" Edward raised his eyebrows, still uncertain with Alice's void predictions. He narrowed his eyes, edging forward. "Ah, yes. I assume they're here to take us to Hogwarts."

---

Ron waited until everyone else got into a carriage before getting into the front one. He was sharing with the girl and the guy who had come out of the smoke, as well as Mr. Wheelchair. "Hey," he said, taking a seat next to the girl. "I never got a chance to properly introduce myself- I'm Ron."

"My name's Mia," said the girl quietly. "I'm with Tintin. I don't know where he is now..."

"I'm Danny," said the other guy, glancing at Mia. "I was in the bus explosion with Peter."

"The _what?_" exclaimed Ron.

---

Bella sat down in the lovely carriage, followed by Edward and Alice. The seats were wooden, a delicate cherry oak. There were little engravings along the side, seeming to move on their own.

Bella folded her hands across her lap, eyeing the majestic black horses that seemed to be watching her.

"Hello, there." She reached out to touch their dark fur, but hesitated, pulling away. The feel of her icy cold skin might startle them.

"This is so exciting!" Alice marvelled, her head swivelling from side to side, eyes wide. "Can you believe that such beauty has been hiding from us all this time?"

Bella couldn't show the same amount of enthusiasm as Alice, no matter how hard she tried. She was still preoccupied about the whole... incident, and was wondering whether she should come clean and admit what she had done to Edward. He would be mad, no doubt, but he wouldn't be ashamed, would he? She wasn't the only one who had given in to her thirst before. In fact, Edward was more to blame. He had _killed_ someone when he first transformed.

_How could this have happened?_ Edward's furious tone interrupted Bella's thoughts for a moment, startling her. She looked up from the ground, curious. _It's impossible!_

"What's impossible, Edward?" Bella whispered, careful to speak as softly as possible, seeing that the carriages weren't too far apart. She raised her eyebrows, prompting him to explain.

"Pardon?" Edward's frustrated expression grew surprised, as if he had been jolted out of his thoughts. "What is it, love?"

"You sounded upset." Bella told him sympathetically. "Saying something about how it was impossible for it to have happened."

A look of confusion passed over Edward's face, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit. He shook his head, frowning. "No, I didn't say anything. Are you sure you didn't hear someone else's conversation?"

A wave of uneasiness spread over Bella's body, making her squirm. She nodded, perturbed. "Oh, yes, that's probably it. I guess I'm still not adjusted to this new way of hearing everything."

Edward relaxed a little, placing a hand gently on her knee. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It feels like everything's so new, doesn't it? Like your seeing the world for the first time? In a whole new light?"

"Yeah." Bella sunk back into her seat, trying to convince herself that she wasn't going crazy. Edward's voice had been unmistakable, but why would he lie to her?

Suddenly a new voice came into a mind, blended with the same type of sounds that she had heard before.

_Amazing! Will you look at those trees? And those gorgeous coloured rocks! I might suggest to Carlisle that we move here._ The chirpy melody was as clear as ever.

_That was strange._ Edward spoke again, this time aggravated. _Just as I lose my ability to hear people's thoughts, I start suspecting things beyond my comprehension. Why can't I just enjoy this spectacular trip, just like my sister is doing?_

Bella slowly raised her head, holding on to the voices, expecting to see Edward and Alice chattering away.

But they sat there, still as statues, their lips unmoving.

Bella stiffened. Her suspicions were right.

---

Nancy climbed in after the red-head, noticing that the carriages were being pulled by nothing. It struck her as odd, until she remembered that these people could do magic.

Thirrin climbed into the carriage beside the girl named Nancy. She couldn't look away from the weird horses, and wondered why the other girl didn't give them a second glance.

---

Bella watched as the magnificent castle came into view, even more awe-inspiring than Alice's description. The towers loomed over the school, casting imposing shadows. It was and immense building- Bella briefly wondered how many kids were enrolled. Probably at least a thousand.

But Bella had more important things to think about, like why she was suddenly able to hear people's thoughts right after Edward lost the very same power?

She felt guilty in a way, pondering over the fact that it could have been her fault. It was quite likely that she had taken the ability from him- that, or there were some very strange coincidences occurring.

Could it be that this unfamiliar, magical place was the cause? Who knew what abilities the people who inhabited these lands held? She had already witnessed a boy use teleportation on a whim. There could be others who were much more powerful than what she had seen. Who knew their limits?

Yet Bella couldn't help feeling that what she held right now was different, something other then what Edward had been capable of doing. He had described it to her as noisy, always hearing an endless chatter, people constantly thinking, their thoughts bouncing around his head.

But Bella wasn't hearing multiple voices. Only those of Edward and Alice, who seemed caught up in their own little daydreams. She knew that she would have to tell someone sooner or later, and start testing her new abilities out.

It wasn't her fault that this had happened. She hadn't purposefully taken Edward's powers. If Hogwarts was causing this, then she wasn't in the wrong.

By the end of the carriage ride, Bella had truly convinced herself that her new discovery was meant to be explored.

---

The carriage Ron was in fell into an uncomfortable silence. It was obvious Peter and Danny were friends, but they seemed too suspicious of him to loosen up and talk. So when the carriage drew up to the school, it was with great relief that Ron jumped down. "Er-" he said, looking at the curious faces of his fellow travellers as they peered out of the carriage. "Welcome to Hogwarts?"


	12. Off to Hogwarts: Part 3

Thirrin stepped carefully out of the carriage. She liked the look of the castle; it was very big and impressive. Maybe staying here for a while would be nice... after all, she didn't have to return to Icemark _immediately_, did she?

Nancy jumped out of the carriage as soon as it had stopped. She couldn't wait to enter the castle and solve the mystery. As far as Nancy could tell from the conversations she'd heard, this castle contained many people who could do magic.

---

Dumbledore heard faint voices coming from outside of the castle. Oh, good. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger were back, possibly with more students. He prepared to welcome them properly.

"WELCOME TO HOGWARTS SUMMER TRAINING!" he boomed yet again. The enchanted confetti floated gently down to the ground. As it settled Dumbledore saw, to his satisfaction, that Mr. Weasley had managed to bring back a fair-sized group of students. But where was Miss Granger? Ah well. She was probably recruiting yet another group.

"Let the feast begin!" he shouted.

---

Nancy jumped when a loud voice boomed through the entrance to the castle. She gasped at who it came from.

A tall spindly man, with fashionable half-moon glasses and brilliant robes stood before her. His long white beard made him appear so mature... and his blue eyes simply sparkled in obvious intelligence. She had never met anyone like him. Nancy had no experience with older men, but she knew that she would have to speak with him later.

---

Thirrin looked around in surprise. The castle seemed bigger then it had from the outside. And it was obviously called 'Hogwarts'. Quite an odd name for a school.

At the mention of 'feast', Thirrin's stomach growled loudly. With all the excitement, she hadn't realized how hungry she was. She hoped they had good food here.

---

Bella got out of the carriage, feeling a new air of cheerfulness. She stepped into the extremely lively room, sounds of chatter echoing throughout the grand hallway. She gently squeezed Edward's hand, glancing into the main room in front of her, amazed to find a colourful spray of confetti showering down from the ceiling, and a white bearded man showing up to greet them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts summer training!" He boomed, making Bella jump in surprise. Who knew that such a frail looking person could have such a strong, steady voice? She examined his clothing, noticing that he was wearing a navy blue robe, one that came streaming down to his feet. Accompanying the strange attire was a pointy hat, in the same color as the matching outfit.

Bella wondered who he was, listening to him announce that it was time for a special event.

"Let the feast begin!" The man shouted, a large grin on his face. He paused for a brief moment, then continued talking, slightly quieter then before. "Nicely done, if I do say so myself. I'm sure these new students are fairly impressed with my confident attitude."

Bella gave a light laugh, a little confused with the man's tactics. She was sure that over the next few weeks she would witness many more strange ways of the people here at Hogwarts, seeing that they acted much differently than the civilians in Forks.

---

Edward's eyes widened as he entered the brightly lit room, decorated with an extremely realistic painting of a starry night's sky, seeming as though there was almost no ceiling to this enormous building. There were long, warmly decorated tables filling the room, five to be exact. Four of the tables were empty- he assumed that was where they would sit. The fifth table was centered at the front of the hall, filled with a small array of wise looking adults. He guessed that those would be the professors, teaching the students whatever they were taught at this odd school.

Edward watched as the man in front of them raised his arms above his head, telling them that the feast had begun. Suddenly the tables were packed with various types of food, the room filling with surprised shrieks and delighted cries.

It was incredibly loud to Edward's sensitive ears

But there was one place that was as silent as a deserted forest.

Edward's mind was hollow.

Alice stood in the meagre group of people, listening as a man spoke to them about the current feast. Perhaps he was the headmaster- she couldn't tell. She had marvelled over the decor for a few minutes when a firm voice caught her attention.

---

Meena looked over the newcomers with some interest. If she was to learn magic, these would be her classmates. She wondered if any of them had already experimented. She wanted to ask, but long months of solitude had made her much more shy.

Fingering Harry's friend's wand in her pocket, she looked back up at the headmaster. He seemed to be preparing himself for a speech.

----

Harry froze for a few moments when he saw the large crowd of people Ron had put together. Then he relaxed. Of course, Ron had no way of knowing which of them could actually _do_ magic without the potion. Chances were that he had found not a single Wizard.

But Harry decided to be polite and congratulate him anyways. Now the only person left to get here was Hermione.

---

Mia gave a start at the sound of the man's voice, but hurriedly took a seat next to the wheelchair boy- Peter- and his friend. Immediately after sitting down, she thought she had made a mistake. How was she supposed to act around someone who had saved her life?

Speaking of which... where was Tintin? He _had_ saved Danny, it would make sense for him to be close by...

Yet he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he, like her parents, had abandoned her. Sighing, Mia occupied herself by stuffing her mouth with as much food as possible. Maybe if she ate enough she could forget about everything.

----

Danny made a face at Mia's grotesque eating habits, then turned to Peter. "So," he began. Then he stopped. Meena was sitting quietly at the end of the table, looking absentmindedly at the ceiling. "Meena!" he called out. She turned, and he gestured for her to come over. _He_ wasn't too good friends with her- he thought of her as a bit of a freak, actually- but Peter liked her, and besides- he wanted to know whether she had seen anyone else from the bus.

---

"Go ahead, take a seat." The man gestured to the many tables, his face warm and assuring. He appeared to be a reasonable man, but then again, looks could be deceiving.

Alice nodded, already gliding down the long hall, taking Bella and Edward each by the hand. The three of them quickly made their way to a green themed table, silently sitting down.

"So, what do you think?" asked Alice. "So far, it's been absolutely fabulous." Alice sighed in contently, then paused, eyeing Edward sideways. "Well, almost."

"Yes." Bella was quiet, distracted. "I wonder who that odd man was."

"The headmaster," Edward muttered, slowly filling his shining silver plate with various foods. Alice followed, aware that they were in a room full of mortals. Or, at least, people who resembled mortals.

---

Violet stood alone in a corner of a room, unsure what to do. If Sunny were here, she would no doubt be examining the food to further her culinary skills, and perhaps testing the silverware by biting on it. Klaus, no doubt, would be looking around and talking about mythology and magic books he had read. And, in a past life, Violet herself would have been fascinated by the architecture of the castle. But alone, the best she could do was close her eyes and pretend she was invisible.

---

Bella loaded her plate with food, seeing that the other students were stuffing their faces. She wanted to appear as normal as possible, and standing out at a new school was definitely not a very good idea. Especially when she was hiding an immensely dark secret.

She thought about her newest ability, pondering whether she should start testing it out. So far the only minds she could hear were those of Edward and Alice, to some extent. Was it significant that they were undoubtedly two of the most important people in her life?

Edward had told her that other's thoughts just swarmed in his head, coming and going as they pleased. It was effortless, hearing their chatter, but quite difficult blocking it out.

Bella wondered if she had to focus on someone to listen in on what they were thinking. It was a possibility, so why not try it out? First she would have to find someone alone, quietly sitting by themselves, so that she could concentrate better.

She scanned the room, her eyes flickering about. Despite the awkward atmosphere found in a room where most people were strangers to each other, conversations had sprung up between the students. There was laughter throughout the tables, a warm feeling spreading all over.

But standing solemnly in a corner was a timid looking girl, eighteen years old at the most. She was gazing at the floor, unsure of what to do or where to go.

"I'll be right back." Bella stood up in an instant, lightly brushing Edward's ear with her lips. She crossed the floor, sliding around the bustling students, and approached her experiment, careful not to be too sudden.

"Hey." Bella grinned, her white teeth sparkling against the overhead chandeliers. "What's your name?"

---

Nancy looked around, unsure of what to do. This was a feast, but which table should she sit at? The red and gold table was pretty, so she went and sat down on the end at an empty spot, and started eating.

---

Thirrin looked around, now even more confused. She observed each of the tables very closely, until she fell upon the green one. Here, she immediately noticed the bronze-haired boy whom she had noticed earlier. And there was an empty spot next to him! Without thinking, Thirrin went and sat down. "Hey," she said in her most flirty voice. "What's you name?"

Edward's eyes narrowed as an attractive red haired girl flounced across the room and sat down next to him, batting her eyelashes. She spoke in a provocative tone, grinning mischievously.

"Edward Cullen." Edward stuck out his hand swiftly, his polite ways getting the better of him. "And yourself?"

---

Alice rolled her eyes, noticing that the chirpy girl who had just taken a seat had that same, astonished expression as almost every female did when they glanced at Edward. She had gotten used to this sort of attention, but every once in a while, it did get quite annoying.

She took this private moment to herself, aware that Bella was off somewhere, Alice having no clue what her plans were. That girl had been acting quite strange ever since her transformation, her eyes nervous, her mouth twitching. Then again, being a vampire had its ups and downs, so she wouldn't be at all surprised if Bella was having difficulties adjusting.

She spent the free time thinking about what her goals were going to be for the next few weeks. Alice realized that Bella and Edward were likely to be distanced from her reach, doing their own things, giving her a chance to do whatever she wanted.

But what _did_ she want to do?

The blank space in her mind where visions used to appear regularly hadn't affected her mood much, since it probably didn't mean anything. It had taken her a while to receive the amazing vision about Hogwarts, after all. And just because there had been no instant gratification atop the mountain did not give reason to panic. She sometimes had her bad days- just because she was having one at the same time that Edward lost his ability didn't mean she had lost hers as well… did it?

---

Thirrin's eyes widened as the Edward turned towards her, and she saw him again. How could he be so beautiful? It just didn't make sense. But she tried to cover up her shock by grinning. "Nice you meet you. I'm Thirrin," she responded, and shook Edward's hand. She might have held it a little longer then necessary, even if it was ice cold. "I don't really know where I am- I got teleported twice in a row so I'm a little confused. Maybe you know where we are?" Thirrin batted her eyelashes in a meaningful manner.

---

Violet looked up. One of the newcomers had come over to her. Why? There were so many other people to bother, why her? Maybe she was Count Olaf's accomplice. Maybe she was going to kill her, or use that awful ray-gun that had made Sunny go mad.

Edging away slightly, she answered the girl quietly. "My name's Violet."

----

Meena saw Danny and Peter, and for a moment the thought in the forefront of her mind was that she wished they hadn't survived the explosion so that she could practice magic in peace. Then, horrified at herself, she purposefully strode over to her friends. "No... I haven't seen anyone else," she answered, taking a seat and trying not to sound as if she had been wishing for their deaths a minute previous.

"No one?" Peter asked sadly. It was unlikely that any of the others had survived. Two explosions were rather hard to live through.

---

Bella continued her kindly attitude, ignoring Violet's lukewarm reply. "Nice to meet you." She told her, making a mental note to tone it down a little. She didn't want to scare her only target away. "My name's Bella."

She studied the girl's face, observing her features, wondering where to start. Should she just focus her mind on the girl's surrounding energy? Close her eyes? Do nothing at all?

Bella tightened her eyes a little, locking Violet in a penetrating stare, fixated on her darkly coloured eyes. She stiffened, waiting.

_"Why is she here? What is she doing? Why am _I_ here? Oh, I just want things to go back to normal!"_

It took Bella a moment to realize that Violet's lips weren't moving, remaining motionless while her torrent of thoughts poured out. She kept up the gaze, but couldn't help the enormous grin that was breaking out over her face.


	13. Off to Hogwarts: Part 4

Violet edged away faster, more uneasy than ever. "I..." she said. Then she broke off. Why did she need an excuse? Half-running, she fought through the small crowd to the opposite side of the room, chewing her lip anxiously.

---

Edward chuckled, amused by how quickly Thirrin was speaking. He felt like he should have told her to slow down, but that would have been incredibly rude on his behalf.

"I'm not to sure myself." Edward admitted, pretending to take a sip of his beverage. "Though I do have reason to believe that we are at Hogwarts, some sort of magical school."

---

Garfield hissed, jumping off of the desk that the strange man had placed him on moments before. He didn't _want_ to correct homework. He wanted to go home. He wanted to eat lasagne. He wanted to kick Odie, and hug Pookie. He plodded into the long hallway, noticing the sound of several voices nearby. He stepped out of the hallway...into Heaven.  
Food! Food everywhere! Mountains of mashed potatoes, plates piled high with different delicacies...Lasagne! Garfield flung himself onto the nearest table, and began to eat. Maybe Mondays weren't all that bad.

---

Violet closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. What to do now? She was far from home, had no family at all. No point of life, really. She thought of her failed suicide attempt. What was stopping her from trying again? Nothing, really. Except... it was hard to feel _completely_ hopeless among so many cheerful voices. Maybe she'd give this odd school a try. If it didn't work out... well, she had noticed the castle had _very_ high towers.

---

Meena nodded, trying to feign concern. What was wrong with her? Why did she not feel bad that two- or more- of her friends were dead? Meena stared at her empty plate, trying to conjure sympathy, sadness- anything. But all she felt when she looked at the plate was inexorable longing- even lust- for _magic_.

---

Mia glanced over at the end of the table and saw an orange cat lying across a pan of lasagne. She smiled at it, but it seemed too preoccupied with the food to care about much else. The cat reminded her of Mango...

Just as her thoughts began to drift, she was shocked back to lucidity by a sort of tearing, popping sound. Mia screamed loudly as she realized the cat had literally blown up, its innards scattered across the end of the table. The cat had scarfed so much food, its stomach had exploded. Eating itself to death.

Mia sprinted out of the hall, her supper rising in her throat.

---

Ron looked across the hall in satisfaction. Sure, there weren't as many people in it as Dumbledore had wanted, but there were enough. Besides, Hermione would bring more people with her, and they could go scouting for more potential Wizards later.

"Good job," said a voice behind him. Turning, Ron saw Harry. He seemed to be genuinely happy for him, but with Harry, who could tell? "Thanks," answered Ron. "How many people did _you_ recruit?"

---

Darth Vader coughed loudly as the front of his escape pod billowed out some dark smoke. This was not good. He did not have time for repairs. But obviously, he had no choice. He quickly zoomed towards the ground, and landed smoothly on the soft grass.

Getting out, he sensed something strange. Like The Force, yet different. More sparkly, and _magical._ Weird... Darth Vader got out of his pod, and not a moment too soon. A loud bang-sound behind him told that his pod had just exploded. Great.

Darth Vader turned around, and realized what stood before him. A castle. A _castle_. The Force must seriously be with him today, how lucky! As long as it was inhabited, he could actually take over something!

Darth Vader set out towards the castle at a quick march, silently fingering the handle of his ultimate weapon of coolness- his Lightsaber.

---

Bella furrowed her brow, slightly offended by Violet's drastic exit. Had she really been that frightened? She watched as the timid girl raced through the crowds of people, glancing over her shoulder, making sure that Bella wasn't following. She finally stopped at the far wall, closing her eyes, deep in thought. Whatever was going on in her mind was probably pretty complicated.

Remembering what she had just accomplished, Bella took a step forward, aiming her eyes towards the frightened girl. She was capable of hearing anyone's thoughts if she focused hard enough, and that was exactly what she was planning on doing.

Bella laughed with glee.

Soon Violet's secrets would be hers.

---

Edward smiled crookedly, his eyes flickering around the area, searching for Bella. She hadn't told him where she was going, so he couldn't help but wonder.

Thirrin continued to lean closer, her head titled slightly to the side. It was quite obvious that she was trying to make a good impression.

He liked how cheerful her attitude was, and figured that he might as well be kind to her, realizing that she probably didn't have any other friends.

"Would you like to tour the castle with us?" Edward asked, being friendly. "I would really like to introduce you to two very important people."

---

Mia stood on the steps of the castle, chest heaving. She had thrown up in the bushes, but she still felt _very_ nauseous.

But wait... someone was approaching the castle! They were breathing oddly... maybe they had asthma. When the figure stepped into the pool of light, Mia took several steps back and tried to hide in the shadows. A man wearing pitch-black armour! What was _he_ doing here?

---

It was easier this time, taking almost no concentration. Violet's thoughts shot freely into Bella's mind, clouding her vision. She stood in a corner, emotionless, just listening.

_"What should I do now?_" Violet's tone was nervous, preoccupied. _"I'm far away from home, no family at all. No point in life, really. t should all have been over. Everything! I should be dead, jumping off that cliff. But I'm not. Instead I'm here, stuck in this strange, creepy school. I don't belong here!_" Violet paused, thoughtful. "_But what would stop me from trying to die again? Nothing. I could kill myself, and no one would care. It would be the end. Except..." _Violet glanced around the room, her perspective of the situation changing. Bella felt a bit of hope trickle through her body, knowing that this was exactly what the girl was feeling._ "Everyone is just so... happy! There has to be something good about this unusual school, since no one sounds upset. You know, maybe I should give this odd place a try._" Bella felt some the hopelessness drain out of Violet's body. "_And if it doesn't work out, well, there are some pretty high towers in this castle._"

Bella decided that it was time to snap out of her trance, so she broke the soundless connection between Violet and herself, starting to walk back towards the green themed table, smiling.

How intimate this power was! A few minutes, the barest amount of effiort, and already she knew that one of her classmates was planning a suicide!

---

Thirrin was a little surprised that everything had gone so well. This boy must really like her! Smiling to herself, she said, "Sure! That sounds like fun! Thanks for offering..." Thirrin batted her eyelashes again for good luck.

---

Darth Vader heard some disgusting noises from near by as he approached the door. He noticed a girl puking her guts up in a bush. Heh, not his problem.

Darth Vader pulled his lightsaber in an awesome lightning-quick move. Pleased with himself, he destroyed the door in one swipe. He could have just opened it, but this was way more fun.

His footsteps echoed through the silent hallway as Darth Vader strode towards wherever he was going. He could hear voices, _many_ voices, coming from another door. This would be the first place he would take over. After all, _he_ had a _lightsaber._ And laser blasters. There was no way these stupid Earthlings could stand up to him. Darth Vader took a deep, rasping breath, and raised his hand.

With one swift jerk of his hand, the door flew open, as if pushed by an unseen force. He paused for effect, watching as faces slowly turned towards him. He took a few more rasping breaths while he waited for the chatter to subside, and for these children to realize who he was.

"Earthling scum!" he began, then paused again. That sounded cool. Nice echo effect. "As you must know, I, am DARTH VADER!" This was fun. "I herby declare that I am conquering this little castle, since I am so superior to you all. I have weapons beyond even your wildest dreams. I could kill you all right now, with one swipe of my hand. But if you kneel before me, you shall be spared." Darth Vader waited. He turned and looked at all the faces of these measly earthling children, glaring the best he could behind this big mask.

---

Dumbledore sat down at his table, watching the new students. They certainly didn't _seem_ very magical. Though maybe that was part of their magic. It was possible. Suddenly, a strange man wearing dark clothes and a funny mask burst into the room. Taking over the castle? Dumbledore stared at him for a moment, incredulous. Was he being serious?

"If you do not obey-" the man began again.

Dumbledore took a few confident steps forward. This was a good opportunity to impress the students. He pulled out his wand, shouted "Avada Kedavra!", and watched as the intruder fell to the ground.

There was a jet of green light, and the Sith Lord fell to the ground. Defeated at last.

---

Edward gave Thirrin and encouraging smile, convinced that she would make a good friend. She appeared to be a nice girl, so why shouldn't he do something for her? He was sure that Bella and Alice would enjoy her company.

Edward looked behind his shoulder, planning on introducing Thirrin to his sister. Alice tended to enjoy other people's company, being the brightly lit vampire she was.

But next to him was an empty space, Alice nowhere in sight. He narrowed his eyes, puzzled, figuring that she must have gone off, exploring the castle.

Suddenly there was a change of feeling in the room, the bright, brisk chatter turning sour. Students stopped talking, eyeing the tall, dark figure that had just paraded into the hall.

Edward briefly wondered if it could be another teacher, since this person was dressed just as strangely as the other professors. The man, or woman, it was hard to tell, wore a black outfit, a long, towering cape, and a strangely formed helmet.

The figure then launched into a speech about his superiority. Edward couldn't help grinning, edging on a laugh. This man was utterly ridiculous, bordering on complete insanity. Did he really think he could conquer the land?

Yet after a quick moment of silence, Edward's grin faded into a worried frown. Yes, this man was definitely crazy, what with his lunatic antics and overconfident attitude. People like that could be dangerous, and there was a whole room of students in his reach. If he tried anything...

Edward gaped as the man was suddenly cut off in mid sentence, blasted by a stream of green light.

Perhaps he had underestimated this so-called "magic…"

---

Mia returned to the hall shakily. Then froze. The man who had pushed past her was lying sprawled across the entrance, quite spectacularly dead.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she took a seat at the table next to Peter and Danny. What was _with_ all these deaths?

---

Violet edged over to a teacher at the table, a mysterious-looking woman with large glasses that magnified her eyes. "Um... where are the dormitories?" she whispered. She had had quite enough of the noise and the brightness.

Professor Trelawney was snapped out of her random daydream when a quiet voice asked her where the dormitories were. She was greeted by an unhappy-looking brown-haired girl. "One second dear," she said in her far-away-dreamy voice, which she had perfected. "The headmaster will explain what will happen in just a moment."

---

Alice twiddled her thumbs, guessing that the headmaster was about to make a speech. He was standing up, looking proud, the other professors gazing at him in admiration.

There were only a few teachers, each of which appearing completely different. One wore a colourful robe, crooked glasses, and an array of jewellery, splashes of fun brightening up her excited expression. She stood next to a lonely seeming girl with dark hair and dark eyes.

Another one was dressed in black, his attire darkly solemn. His hair was like midnight, cut in layers, made to cover his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Alice spun around as teenage boy, maybe sixteen at the most, tapped her on the shoulder, his tone timid. "Do you know where we are?"

Alice frowned, confused. The boy obviously read her expression, for he changed his tactics.

"I know it sounds strange," The boy managed a slightly laugh, soft and genuinely humble. "But I just appeared here, and the problem is, I have no clue where "here" is." He stuck out his hand, polite. "I'm Blake. And you are...?"

"Alice." Alice took it, smiling. "You're at Hogwarts, the school of magic." She paused, hesitating. "I think."

---

Dumbledore stood up grandly, waiting until all of the students had quieted down before launching into his speech.

"Welcome, new students, to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. I, Professor Dumbledore, am the headmaster of this school. To encourage new students, this year we have decided to take in students during the summer." He gestured at the group in front of him. "Thank you very much to Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney, who gave up their summers for this occasion. Hogwarts is a well-established school, with a long and fascinating history. It had four founders: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Typically, you would be sorted into the four houses named after them, but, due to the small amount of students, you will all be in one house, named after me." Dumbledore smiled. "Classes will start tomorrow, but first, you will be tested on your magical abilities. Once you have finished dessert, I'm sure that Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley would be happy to lead you to your dormitories. Have a good evening." With that, Dumbledore sat down. With a flick of his wand, desserts of every kind appeared on the tables.


	14. Off to Hogwarts: Part 5

Mia looked up at the sounds of the word "magic."

_Magic?_

What was this place?

Mia buried her head in her hands. In the middle of nowhere... and surrounded by crackpots.

She did not notice the food disappearing into thin air.

---

Thirrin tried to pay attention to the old guy's long speech, but found Edward too distracting. So she stared at him instead, and picked up a few words like "school... houses... classes... magic...", but she wasn't paying enough attention to think about them.

---

"Oh," answered Violet quietly. She slipped back from the staff table as the headmaster stood up to deliver his speech. Being in no mood for dessert, she instead headed towards the red-head whom Dumbledore had indicated. "Excuse me... Ron?" she whispered. "Where are the girls' dormitories?"

---

Meena ignored the desserts. She had eaten barely anything at all over the course of the feast, and fidgeted slightly as she waited to be led to the dormitories. She wondered what they looked like.

---

Edward listened attentively to the headmaster's speech, having to pay much more attention then he usually would have. The absence of his ability was both upsetting and aggravating- he had no way of monitoring the minds of those surrounding him, a skill that he had tended to rely on.

It was good that Bella had had resistance to his power; it had given him practice for this infuriating silence filling his head.

Suddenly Edward paused, his brow tightening. If Bella had the power to keep her thoughts sheltered, what was preventing the others from doing the same? Maybe this strange magic school had qualities that appeared normal to the students, but different to the vampires. Perhaps he hadn't lost his ability after all!

Edward straightened, his mood brightening. He couldn't help grinning crookedly at Thirrin, who, until now, he hadn't noticed staring intently in his direction.

----

Bella continued her graceful stride towards the green themed table, having stopped a moment to listen to the headmaster's speech. It had been quite informative, explaining to them why they were here, and who their teachers were. Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney, he had announced.

She spotted Edward instantly, his golden bronze hair sparkling from the candle lights above. She was delighted to see him give her a crooked smile, the one she loved, and her mood brightened slightly.

But he wasn't the _only _one that Bella noticed. Sitting next to him was a tall girl with dark red hair, gazing at Edward, her eyelashes fluttering in a way that she did not like at all.

"Bella!" Edward's tone was just as soft and smooth as always. "I've been wondering where you went off to!"

"Sorry," said Bella, abashed. "I just felt like doing a little exploring, you know, to see how beautiful this school really was."

"It's okay." Edward motioned towards the red haired girl with one hand. "Bella, meet Thirrin. She's new here, to."

***

Drizzt rambled through the thick forest, muttering to himself. Who would be able to heal Cattie-Brie? That annoying Wulfgar probably had something to do with it. Well, the sooner he found something to heal her, the more time they could have to together. Cheered by these thoughts, Drizzt quickened his pace. He had heard that there was a magical village close by that might be able to help him.

***

It was with relief Violet sighed when the crumbs of dessert vanished from the plates. Now she could go to her room and rest- alone. Sure enough, the headmaster gestured towards a door to the right of the Great Hall and said something to the redhead- Ron- and his friend.

Dumbledore got out of his seat at the front, and walked, head held high, up to Harry. "Mr. Potter" he said, touching his shoulder to get his attention, "Could you please take these students to the Gryffindor dormitories? It's the most convenient place." Dumbledore smiled at Harry, then strode back to his seat.

Harry puffed out his chest, grinning at having been given such an important task.

"Hey- everyone!" he yelled, using his wand to amplify his voice. "Follow me! We're going to the dormitories!"

At this point, all the desserts disappeared from the tables. A lot were uneaten since they had gotten less people than expected... ah well. More would probably come tomorrow.

---

Edwards's crooked smile brought Thirrin back to Earth. Wow, was it really possible for someone to be that beautiful?

She turned to this one called 'Bella', and frowned. She was probably Edward's girlfriend, and she was also just too perfect to be true. But she quickly cleared her expression and attempted a smile.

"Nice to meet you." Bella grinned, ignoring Thirrin's quick frown. She reached out to shake her hand, feeling slightly self conscious. She wondered, as she had done many times before, how someone as beautiful as Edward Cullen could be in love with her.

Especially when Thirrin, obviously intrigued by Edward's charm, was almost drooling. He could have had any girl in the world, but had chosen Bella, who, up until yesterday, had been the embodiment of "ordinary."

---

Blake nodded at the girl, listening to the strangely dressed man's speech. He spoke confidently and charismatically, calling everyone's attention and quieting the room within seconds.

Soon Blake was confused, puzzled by this mindboggling scenario. All he had wanted was to find out more about his notebook, knowing that it was more then just empty white pages. He briefly thought of when he had found it in the library, old and dusty. He had immediately known that it was special- and he was right, of course. He just needed proof of its magical origins…

He then thought back to less then an hour ago, where he had been at home, examining it. As featureless as it was, Blake could feel that there was something special contained throughout the paper, deep meaning that was beyond his comprehension. He had touched the notebook, placing his fingertips upon the firm surface, and the next thing he had known was that he was surrounded by mountains with a castle close by.

Blake resumed staring at the castle where he had suddenly appeared, marvel winning over fear. He had never seen anything so finely crafted, defined in such artistic ways. Slowly walking around, he studied the wooden archways, towering above the brilliant marble floors, the engravings- so incredibly detailed, and the numerous paintings across the enormous walls. Everything had been so beautiful, so exciting, so… magical.

And now Blake understood why.

The headmaster, Dumbledore, wrapped up a short speech explaining the school to the other newcomers. Harry, obviously an apprentice of some sort, was to direct them to their dormitories.

So this was a boarding school for magic users. Blake couldn't seem to shake that concept from his head. They would be taught how to cast spells, create potions, hold a wand. He would have to wear a robe, and maybe even a pointy hat. He would learn to fly a broom.

But a certain realization jolted his fantasies, sending his straight back to reality. He plummeted in a stunned daze for a few seconds, then shook his head, focusing on the crowds of people around him.

What would happen if he _couldn't use magic_? He hadn't been recruited by the apprentices, as the rest of the students here obviously had been. What if he was completely ordinary?

That fact was quite relevant to these circumstances, especially since the headmaster had spoken as if the ability to use magic was something natural, part of every one of them. They'd find out the truth during the first class, noticing how the wand wouldn't work in his hands. Then he'd be forced to leave, with no idea of how to return home and, more importantly, without learning the true meaning of his blank notebook.

But perhaps there _was_ no magic in the castle- just because some bizarre looking man told him that he was in a magical school didn't mean it was real.

He began to calm down a bit.

"Hey!"

Blake nearly jumped a foot in the air, startled by someone's cool touch. It had been as if an ice cube had been placed on his back, the cold making him stiffen. He whirled around, coming face to face with the girl he had met before.

"Oh, hi." Blake mumbled, slightly embarrassed. He knew that he shouldn't care, but he couldn't help feeling a little self conscious. Acting all jumpy certainly wasn't going to get him any friends. "What's up?"

"Nothing." The girl smiled coyly, as if he had missed some sort of joke. "What's up with you?"

Blake tried to ignore the strange vibes he was getting. "Um, nothing." He made an attempt to change the subject, without much success. "So, when's dessert going to start? I thought I heard the headmaster telling us that it was about to begin."

The girl gave him a strange look, then burst out laughing, a soft, melodic sound echoing through the noisy chatter. Blake frowned, his face growing hot. Why was she laughing? Did he say something wrong?

"I'm sorry." The girl fought to contain her giggles, her expression glowing. "But the feast is already over. It just finished." Then her eyes grew serious, the playfulness turning hard, concerned. "You've just been standing here, staring, a confused look spread out over your face. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just curious. You must be thinking about something very important."

Blake was silent, wondering if she was telling the truth. Had he really missed the whole feast, off in his own world? He hadn't known that that was possible, just tuning out his surroundings like that.

"Anyways," The girl turned cheerful again, making Blake notice how stunning she really was. "Now that I know you're not frozen, I'd better go back and join my friends."

"Okay." Blake regained his voice. "See you later… um…"

"Alice." Alice waved, and strode back to the green themed table, meeting up with three others.

She had almost appeared to be dancing.

---

Thirrin nodded in Bella's direction, momentarily unable to speak due to extreme jealousy. But she shook Bella's hand, shuddering slightly at her icy touch. Well, Thirrin would just have to convince Edward to love _her_ instead. This was a magic school, after all. Turning away, she followed the rest of the students out of the hall.

Being too preoccupied to really register the moving staircase, Thirrin followed the group in a sort of daze, not really thinking of what was happening, but thinking of Edward. Ways of stealing Edward's attention ran through her mind at lightning speed. But by the time she had reached the dormitories, one had stuck fast in her mind.

Would it be possible to make a love potion?

---

Nancy gaped at the headmaster. _Magic school_? They would learn _magic_? Imagine how easy it would be to solve crime when she could do _magic_. The possibilities were endless! Very eager to start, Nancy followed the black-haired boy out through the doors.

Looking around, she couldn't help but gasp at the moving staircases, and look wide-eyed at all the paintings, which seemed to be _moving_. What a very magical place.

When they reached the 'Griffin-door Tower', Nancy stopped with the rest, almost jumping in excitement. She couldn't wait to fix her hair. When the small door opened, she gasped. It was more wonderful then she could have imagined!

---

Harry waited for a minute for the small crowd to stop talking, then marched proudly towards the stairwell to get to Gryffindor Tower. He heard gasps of surprise at the moving staircase, but lead them through it confidently. When they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, he was slightly put out she wasn't there. Obviously gone somewhere for vacation.

So Harry simply pushed the door open, stepped back as it swung outwards, and grandly announced "Welcome to the Gryffindor common room!"

---

Alice skipped towards the green themed table, motioning for Bella and Edward to rise, seeing how the rest of the room was doing the same. They had been in the middle of a conversation, speaking to Thirrin, the tall girl who had been drawn to Edward.

"Hi," Alice's smile glittered. She was in a bouncy mood, her recent discoveries put aside. She'd solve the unnatural feeling of blank space in her mind later on, when she had time to think alone, without the distraction of the excited students. "The food here is fantastic, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes." Edward nodded, amused by her chirpy attitude. "And where have you been? Off exploring, perhaps?"

Alice pointed across the room, directing his gaze towards the professor's table. "An interesting bunch. They appear to be very different from one another, something I wouldn't expect from such an organized school."

"Everything's different here," Bella spoke, a distinct edge filling her tone. She sounded sly. Alice glanced at her sideways, suspecting that her earlier disappearance held greater meaning. She shook her head, as if to shake out the paranoid thoughts.

"Let's get settled." Edward took a few steps forward. Harry had left the hall, already leading a large group of students to their dormitories.

Alice sighed, trailing after him.

They caught up with the large crowd a few seconds later, having had no reason to watch their speed. They had been the last ones, no possible witnesses left behind.

Winding staircases filled her view, coming from all angles, dainty paintings covering the walls. The steps were solid oak, dark brown, carefully crafted like every other part of the school. Peering above, Alice could barely see the top, the paintings just going higher and higher.

But there was something odd about the scene.

She focused on a painting of a table, at which multiple ladies sat. They were dressed in long, flowery gowns, the silky material almost seeming to flutter in the wind.

Alice froze.

It wasn't her imagination- the dresses were _moving_.

She slowly raised her fingers to the painting, brushing the frame with a gentle swipe. It was like any other; hard, carved, beautifully refined. Yet there was no doubt about it. It was unmistakably alive.

Like magic.

It wasn't possible. Paintings couldn't move. It had to be an optical illusion, designed to mislead the new students who walked these corridors.

But what if it was real? Where all the paintings like this one? Were they all living?

She could have stared at it all day. She could have remained on the staircase, feet planted to the ground.

If only a great rumble hadn't come tumbling through the floor, jolting her from the disbelieving trance.

"H-huh?" Alice exclaimed, the steps beneath her separating, shaking the banister. The staircase was turning, swinging to another part of the room.

"Alice!" A solid grip grabbed her shoulder. She leapt forward, Edward by her side, Bella, wide eyed, acted just as quickly. They were airborne for a split second, then landed on the solid ground a few feet lower.

The three of them scanned the room in an instant, watching as the fast switching death trap hooked against a darkly coloured wall, becoming still.

"What the---?" Bella looked horrified, her jaw dropping.

"The staircases appeared to have just… changed." Edward noted, speaking slowly, carefully.

Alice felt irritation change her expression into a ferocious scowl. "Is there anything in this castle that _doesn't_ move?"

***

Drizzt arrived at the small village feeling quite tired. It had been a tough trip. He looked around. Everyone seemed to be inside. How strange.

"Er, anyone home?" he called out. An old lady peeked her head out the door of the house next to him. She beckoned to him. Without thinking, he followed.

Inside the house, Drizzt noticed that the woman was tiny. Smaller then him. She looked very scared indeed. "Is something... wrong?" he asked.

"You... you must..." she said in a trembling voice.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that. What must I do?" Drizzt frowned. He had a sudden bad feeling.

"Bad... bad things... you must go... HURRY!" she barked, making Drizzt jump.

"What? Bad things? What ba-"

BOOM.

***

Harry directed the girls and the guys to their respective dormitories. When the last of them pattered up the stairs, he turned to Ron. "Weren't there three other people in the group?" he asked, puzzled. Ron shrugged. "If they're lost, that's their problem. I'm-" he stifled a big yawn. "I'm going upstairs."

With that, Harry was left alone.

"Well," he declared loudly. "I'm not going to go safe to bed like a coward if there are people in danger! I'm going to save them!"

"Tha's nice," mumbled a shepherd in a painting of a flock of sheep. "Now why don't you bloody well shut up and leave us cowards to peace?"


	15. Off to Hogwarts: Part 6

Girls' Dormitory, Room 1:

Violet slipped into the stairwell ahead of everyone, found her name on the list splitting the girls into two rooms, rushed into her room, and curled up in bed, crying silently. She didn't belong here. Why was she here? Oh, for the silent peace of death...

The door opened. Violet sat up with a start, hurriedly wiping the tears from her face. Luckily, the girl who came in seemed no more interested in socialising than Violet, so she was left in peace. When the girl vanished behind the curtains of her four-poster, Violet began to cry once more.

Meena climbed the stairs, slightly disappointed. Other than the moving pictures and the vanishing food, she hadn't seen anything that told her this was a castle for the education of magic. But maybe the subtlety was part of the charm...

She ignored everyone else and went straight into her room and to bed. Another girl was already in the room too, but as she made no effort to be social, Meena didn't feel obliged to start a conversation. She sat down on her own bed, pulled the curtains shut, and took out her wand.

So it was that Meena Miller fell asleep cradling the wand with an animal expression of delight upon her otherwise vacant face.

Girls' Dormitory, Room 2:

Thirrin momentarily forgot Edward when she stepped into the common room. How wonderful! This place looked really cool... what stories she would have for back home! A small knot of homesickness curled unpleasantly in her stomach, but she pushed all thoughts of Icemark to the back of her head. She already knew that teleporting was possible- she had done so twice. Getting home was a simple matter of learning how to do it a third time.

Seeing her name on a piece of paper next to a staircase, she climbed up. She arrived in another room. It was heavily furnished, complete with four four-poster beds. She sat down on one and took a moment to look around and think. No one had entered the room yet, and the silence was soothing.

Her thoughts wandered back towards Edward. Edward... Edward... Edward... She just couldn't get him out of her head. She would have to ask the potions teacher how to make a love potion. It was probably the only way. Smirking mentally, she lay back and tried to fall asleep.

Boys' Dormitory, Room 1:

Ron lay down in his bed, stretching out the kinks of the day. Tomorrow would be a good day, he felt sure. Hermione would come with her lot of people, classes would start, and everything would be alright. Everything...

Then the room was silent except for Ron's soft snores.

Boys' Dormitory, Room 2:

Blake stumbled awkwardly up the rickety stone steps, already tired of climbing these endless staircases. He had been one of the last students in the common room.

He soon reached his assigned quarters, surprised to discover that the place was deserted.

Blake shrugged, letting his tough leather backpack tumble to the ground, and collapsed onto the nearest bed. If there was anything he wanted to do, it was sleep. It had been a nerve-wracking day, getting brought to this abnormal school, associating with these strange people, his parents undoubtedly already calling the police. He didn't know where he was, how he had gotten here, or when he would be able to return home.

And to top it all off, he still had the mysterious notebook, lying innocently in his bag. It had to be powerful, transporting him here like that, and that meant it could possibly be dangerous.

As Blake tried to shake the mind-boggling thoughts out of his head, his goal being a nice, relaxing sleep, one thing remained certain.

He had to find out what the blank book was capable of doing.

***

Mia stood awkwardly outside of the stairwell. Only a few people seemed to know each other, but she was too shy to approach anyone. Two girls had already passed her on their way upstairs, and the common room was emptying rapidly. But since she was already here, she may as well make friends...

Pushing her shyness aside, Mia approached a random girl who was looking around for something and introduced herself.

---

Danny pulled open the door to the boys' dormitory, but found, to his dismay, the steep steps were not equipped for a wheelchair. He turned to Peter. "So," he said. "How do you suppose we're going to get up?"

---

Nancy turned slowly, looking at every inch of the common room. This was place was magical, she could feel it. Staircases that changed, pictures that actually moved... This would be so much fun!

Remembering that her hair was a mess, Nancy kneeled down and searched through her purse for a brush in a slightly panicky manner. She jumped at a voice behind her.

Oh, this girl had been at the feast. Mia. "I'm Nancy Drew," she said proudly. "I'm really good at solving mysteries and stopping crime. I came here to try and solve one- some people are acting very suspicious. But I'm really not quite sure where we are. Do you have any idea?"

Mia shrugged. "Other than the whole magic thing? I don't know. I was unconscious for most of the conversation... the explosion, you know. Maybe you can catch me up?"

Nancy thought for a second. "Yeah, that's right, the explosion. I was quite far away, I think. But I just grabbed on to some people and got teleported here with them."

"So... what happened after? I was in the hospital with Danny, then when I woke up there were a ton of people gathered around. What do you know about that?" She paused. "I'm Mia, by the way."

Nancy paused. "Sorry, Mia. I don't quite follow. Who's Danny?"

"Danny- the guy who brought me to the park bench. Were you there when he brought me? I feel so... lost..."

"Park bench... Well I was in a park. This is too confusing." Nancy shook her head, then frowned as her hair became even more tangled. "I think we should go to bed."

"Oh," said Mia, a bit put out that the girl hadn't been able to clarify anything. "Goodnight, then." She waited for the girl to disappear up the stairs before following. Finding her name tacked to a door, she went into the room.

***

Drizzt flung himself to the floor as the ground shook. What was happening? A voice beside him made him turn. It was the woman.

"You must... go..." she croaked, before collapsing.

His heart pounding, Drizzt closed his eyes and waited for the ground to stop shaking. A picture formed beneath his eyelids. His breathing stopped. A vision floated to the surface of his mind… it seemed to be a castle, drifting in and out of focus.

Something brushed is arm. Still thinking hard about the castle, Drizzt turned in surprise. But he disappeared before he figured out what, or who, it had been.

***

Harry crept downstairs. It was already late; the only illumination came from the torches in brackets. "Hello?" he called. "We're all supposed to go to the common room!"

No answer.

Why was the castle so quiet? During the school year, there were always noises... Filch telling off random students, Fred and George experimenting with explosives...

Harry found himself at the bottom of the stairwell. He was struck with the enormity of the situation. How on earth could he find three people in Hogwarts castle? They could be _anywhere._

"No," Harry told himself. "Think rationally. They don't know their way around. The only places they know are the Great Hall, and the grounds..."

Harry looked at the doors. They were open a crack.

"Bingo," he whispered, heading towards the doors.

***

Drizzt gasped. He was suffocating, being squeezed. Had he been crushed by something? In the house? Air whiled around him, but still he couldn't breathe.

Drizzt crashed to the ground. Breathing hard, he lay for a moment, trying to ease his throbbing headache from lack of air. Slowly, he got up.

Everything was bare. Hills rolled around him. But something was in the distance. A castle. _A castle._ It was the castle from his dream. And his vision. Now _that_ was weird. But maybe they had something that would heal Cattie-Brie. It wouldn't hurt to try. So he set off at a quick pace toward the building.

***

Edward gritted his teeth, silently gliding from staircase to staircase, hands shoved into his pockets. They had been wandering the tower for at least an hour, watching as their paths were changed, keeping an eye out for any door, hoping that it would lead to the common room.

Yet most of them were locked, forcing Edward to resist yanking them open. They didn't want to be under suspicion, especially with a castle filled with magic users. Who knew how long it would take the professors to realize that something was up, and that three of the students weren't human?

Edward casually leaned against the wooden banister, feeling the now-familiar rumble from beneath his feet. A different path, a new doorway. He wondered if they'd ever find their way.

***

Drizzt finally marched up the steps that led to the castle door. It had taken some effort, but really, as long as Cattie-Brie could be healed, it would be worth it in the end.

Taking a deep breath, Drizzt raised his hand and knocked firmly. As though the door had already been open a crack, it swung slowly away from him at his knock. He stepped in a little shyly, unsure of what to do. He immediately noticed a boy standing not too far away. Maybe he could help him find a way to heal his friend.

---

Harry took several steps back as a tall, blue-skinned man step into the castle. "Who- what- the bloody hell..." he gasped. "Are _you_?"

Drizzt looked at the boy a little strangely. He could have just asked nicely.

"I am Drizzt, the dark elf," he said confidently.

It took Harry a second to process what the guy had said. "Drizzt... dark..."

"DARK MAGIC!" cried Harry, whipping out his wand. "YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO COME HERE AND ANNOUNCE YOURSELF? AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Drizzt crumpled silently. Harry laughed and put away his wand. Thanks to him, Hogwarts was safe.

He dumped the body outside, closed the doors, locked them against any more unwelcome visitors, and headed upstairs, yawning.

He could look for the missing visitors tomorrow.

***

Cattie-Brie coughed really loudly, and quite fake-ish. She hoped she wasn't going too far in this whole illness thing. But Drizzt had gone to fetch her a 'cure', and she was alone with Wulfgar, so it was all good.

She smiled widely as Wulfgar walked in carrying some hot soup for her. How nice of him. He was always so thoughtful. He placed the tray on her lap. And she reached out for the spoon at the same time Wulfgar did, and their hands touched for a moment, until Wulfgar pulled his away. Cattie-Brie smothered a frown. This was going to take a while.

A huge explosion noise, and then an earth-quake rumble sent that soup flying. Wulfgar was thrown to the ground, Cattie-Brie on top of him. The house started quivering, and a small piece of ceiling fell beside them. Wulfgar looked up at Cattie-Brie, and she noted that his face looked like he would pee his pants. If the situation hadn't been so life-threatening, she probably would have laughed.

CRASH!

The bookcase fell over, inches from Cattie-Brie's arm. Another huge rumble, and both she and Wulfgar tumbled into the couch. Another large piece of ceiling fell right where they had been a second ago. Loud clangs from the kitchen told them that pots and pans were crashing to the floor.

BOOM!!!

Cattie-Brie looked up in time to see the roof give way. She screamed, but the sound was soon buried along with the bodies of Cattie-Brie and Wulfgar.

***

Count Olaf fought his way through the brambles of the Forbidden Forest, searching for the person who could help him gain magic- his last bid for power.

The tracking potion he had found in some rubble had led him straight to the closest magic source. But in the dark of _that_ forest, he had seen nothing of the person who could save him. Just a hem of a cloak twirling into the wind, which he had grabbed onto... and ended up here.

The potion still led him ever deeper into the forest.

Magic... he needed it so badly.

And when he found the mysterious person, the first thing he'd do was kill the last Baudelaire.

***


	16. Off to Hogwarts: Part 7

"Another entrance." Bella muttered, sharing Edward's aggravation. "It's probably inaccessible."

"Stand back." Edward stepped past her, facing a delicately painted archway, portraying a simple landscape with an empty velvet seat in the foreground. He gently gripped the handle in his fingers, giving a slight twist.

_Click._

The wooden door flew open, welcoming heat pouring onto his face, warm shadows flickering against the sturdy walls. There were soft looking chairs facing a large fireplace.

"I think we've found the common room." Edward announced, relieved that they had finally made it. He took Bella's hand in his and searched the area, seeing two narrow stone staircase.

"Everyone must have already gone to bed." Alice grinned, bouncing up the steps. "Come on, let's go see our rooms."

Edward nodded, examining the two separate stairwells that wound away from the common room. One for the boys, and one for the girls. He kissed Bella's fingertips, lightly, then strode away.

Bella sighed as Edward pulled away, disappointed by his aversion. She had been hoping to speak to him privately, wanting to discuss what was going on in her mind.

"Cheer up." Alice gently rubbed her shoulder, sympathetic. "I know everything has happened so quickly. But you'll get used to it."

"Maybe," mumbled Bella, slumping. "Or maybe not."

"Tomorrow will be a better day, I'm sure." Alice reached the girl's dormitory, holding the door open for Bella. It was the second room on the girls' side, a list of names tacked to the door. She entered into the glowing darkness, a guilty chill already rising in her bones.

---

Nancy waved goodbye to Mia, and then found the door with her name. She marched in, hoping everyone would be friendly.

---

Peter shrugged, looking up the long spiral staircase. "This is a magic school" he replied. "Why don't we ask the Headmaster....Dumblydore, or something? I'm sure he can find a way."

Danny shook his head, nervous about confronting a full-grown Wizard. But he was saved the necessity of looking for the headmaster- the boy with black hair who had led them to the common room was entering the portrait hole, looking pleased with himself.

"Hey! You!" Danny called. "Can you levitate my friend up the stairs? He's..."

Danny trailed off, seeing Peter's face darken at the mention of his inability to simply walk up the stairs.

"Sure," answered the boy. "When you have Potions you can ask Snape for a healing potion so that you can walk again. But for now... _wingardium leviosa_!"

The last words, apparently nonsense, had an immediate effect. The wheelchair, with Peter in it, leapt into the air with such violence Peter yelled and clutched the armrests, his head almost cracking against the ceiling. Then the chair dropped, almost to the floor, then rose slightly, one corner dipping towards the ground. The whole chair wobbled precariously.

"Isn't it amazing?" asked the boy, mistaking the reason for Danny's shocked expression. "The wheelchair is much heavier than most things people can levitate."

---

Boys' Dormitory, Room 2

Edward crept through the shadows. The room was filled with beds, sheets of warm, smooth colors, and tiny night tables. The floor was stone, cool to the touch.

The dormitory was empty, his roommates yet to arrive. Odd, seeing as he had taken so long to get here. Edward shrugged and headed back downstairs to the common room. There was no point in just sitting around.

Girls' Dormitory, Room 2

Bella and Alice closed the door behind them, gliding through the many rows of soft beds and wooden night tables. The moonlight shone from one of the glass windows, spreading out over the cold floor.

The dormitory already housed two girls, one appearing strangely familiar.

"Thirrin!" Bella chirped, an edge of ice cascading through her tone. "What a pleasure it is to see you here!"

Thirrin opened her eyes in a flash as a familiar voice called her name. Her eyes narrowed as she saw who it belonged to. This seriously just wasn't her day.

"Yes, quite the coincidence isn't it?" Thirrin responded, making every attempt with her voice to shoot daggers at Edward's girlfriend. Then she remembered that Edward wouldn't belong to this random girl for long, if her potion worked. She quickly turned her grin into an evil smirk, hoping to portray self-confidence.

Bella didn't miss the hard tone in Thirrin's voice. "Yes, what a coincidence." She muttered, rolling her eyes out of the girl's view. She was tempted to hear Thirrin's thoughts, to discover the real reason behind her smirk, but she held back, hesitating. Bella didn't really want to know what Thirrin thought of her, or how much she longed for Edward's company.

Thirrin flared her nostrils at Bella's icy tone. Whatever. "_I'm_ going to sleep now," she said, and lay back down on her bed. This was not going to end well.

Bella stiffened as Thirrin turned away, feeling a brief wave of irritation shudder through her body. This red headed girl was bringing out her bad side. She forced herself to shake it off and slide out of the room, motioning for Alice to follow suit.

The common room stood before them, lush and welcoming, a home away from home. She brightened as she noticed Edward, standing against an old book shelf, eyes closed.

"Hey," She murmured, Edward's golden eyes flickering open, thoughtful. "How's your dormitory?"

"Pleasant." Edward gave her a crooked smile, beautiful as ever. "This place is certainly... exotic."

"Yes." Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's shoulders, leaning her head against his chest. She sighed, contented. "Tomorrow classes will start."

---

Danny watched on tenterhooks as the boy precariously manoeuvred Peter up the stairs and into his dormitory. But Peter made it in safe, despite the boy's obvious lack of skill. Danny followed Peter into the room, flopped onto the bed, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

***

Count Olaf felt the tug of the potion lessen in front of a cave. _This_ was where the great power was coming from. He could feel it.

"Hello?" he called, a tad nervous.

Movement!

Someone... some_thing_... was coming out of the cave.

Count Olaf squinted. It was... it was...

A small, fluffy white dog.

Minou trotted forward to the man who had come, transforming at the last moment into his true form.

"I heard you were searching for me," Voldemort hissed.

***

Dark light poured through the open window, moonlight creating a black mist. Shadows crawled past the icy floor, grabbing at the wooden bed posts, tugging. Darkness formed smoky hands of churning clouds, blurred figures swirling about, creating a wall of terror.

There were high pitched shrieks, blood prickling screams, wails of pure horror, tearing through the door. The lifeless fingers came closer, long, sharp nails, crawling up the bed, scratching, moving towards its helpless prey. There was nowhere to go, no way to escape.

The mist grew darker, the claws getting closer, their glistening points covering his body, ten knives scraping his skin. They tore at his eyes, colors swirling, a mix of black and red, blood flowing. His flesh burned, warm liquid seeping down his twisted face, raw wounds forming all over.

He tried to yell, to fight, but he was frozen, spiralling down into unconsciousness. His limbs grew numb, a freezing chill seeping into his bones, despair setting in.

He was going to die, killed by this ominous dread. Growing weaker, he managed to get a glimpse of the core, the notebook floating by the empty ceiling, intertwined with darkness. It appeared to be watching, commanding the horrific shadows, killing.

"No," He attempted to cry out, a ragged croak escaping his bloody, cracked lips. "Stop!"

But the torment continued, his eyelids sagging, a hollowness filling his mind with twisted visions of death. A white searing pain jolted his senses, the slender fingers still clawing, ripping the skin off of his mangled body. Flesh and bone screamed, exposed, the puddle of blood growing larger with every second.

An eerie moaning filled his ears, the horrible sound coming from his own mouth. A wall of red crowded his sight, blood dripping down his eyes.

Suddenly, to his pure horror, the ceiling above started to crumble, pavement and brick falling to the ground. It was about to collapse, about to fall, about to end his life forever. The concrete flashed before his face, ready to crush him...

And Blake woke up.

***

Count Olaf hastily took a step back.

"Y-yes," he stammered. "I- could you-"

The man's cold gaze made him falter. He suddenly felt like an ignorant schoolboy. Furthermore, the headmaster's gaze seemed to hold no hope for him.

Voldemort stared disdainfully at the man in front him. He was a nothing. Who was he to approach the most powerful of dark wizards? "How dare you come here..." he whispered menacingly, "so weak and useless?"

He lifted his wand in one swift movement, pointed it at the man.

"Avada Kedavra."

***

Blake patted his shoulders, stunned that he remained all in one piece. The dream had seemed so real, so... horrific.

Blake shuddered, biting his lip. The sun was peeking through the window, splashes of light bouncing across his face. He squinted, curling into a ball under his wool bed sheets. He still needed to discover what secrets lurked in that notebook, and what it meant.

---

Harry awoke and stretched, yawning. Then happiness filled him as he remembered where he was. Hogwarts. And a month earlier than anticipated.

Getting dressed hurriedly, he prepared to go downstairs. He wanted to be the first down to breakfast to help the newcomers with their classes. He wanted to talk to Ron. He wanted to meet the newcomers and make friends.

Harry once again thought about Hermione. Maybe she had arrived during the night and was downstairs, waiting for him!

The thought brought him to his feet and to the door.

---

Blake sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was aware that he wouldn't be able to stay in bed all day, but denial was the preferred option at the moment.

He heard the noises of rustling clothes, noticing that his roommate had already woken up. He hadn't bothered to introduce himself, seeing how he had arrived after Blake had fallen asleep.

But strangers could be useful.

Blake still hadn't solved his horrendous dream, the thought of it sending shivers down his spine. The notebook had to be important, extremely important.

"Um, excuse me?" Blake mumbled, sitting up. As he got a closer look, he realized that the unknown boy was one of the leaders. He grinned, glad that this guy was a powerful magic user. "My name's Blake. And, well, I was wondering if you could help me. You're the head boy, right?"

Harry grinned. _Head boy..._

"Yes," he announced. "I am. Which of my many services do you require?"

Harry paused. Maybe he had overdone that a tad.

Blake beamed, grateful to have found somebody who might have all of the answers. He reached out to shake the boy's hand. "I would really appreciate it if you would take a look at my notebook." He paused, hesitating on what to say next. "I've had it for a while, but... I'm not exactly sure what meaning it contains."

"Sure thing," said Harry, taking the notebook carefully. The boy seemed convinced it was powerful, or at the very least significant.

Rifling through the pages, Harry saw it was blank. But that meant nothing. Riddle's diary had, after all, been blank.

"Specialis Ultimus Revelato," he muttered.

Nothing.

Harry took out his quill and, ignoring the boy's cry of protest, blotted a random page with ink.

The ink did not disappear- it just stayed there, soaking into the page and smearing Harry's hands.

Harry began to laugh.

"It's... just," he gasped. "A... normal... notebook!"

With that, he ripped the pages out and tossed the book at the boy, the papers fluttering around the room like miniature birds.

---

Blake watched, eager to see the head boy perform magic. He fidgeted with his fingers, biting his lip in anticipation.

"Specialis Ultimus Revelato" The boy muttered, mysterious words that were no doubt an incantation. His face was calm, patient.

Suddenly, to Blake's pure horror, he pulled an old quill pen from the night table, and dipped it into a miniscule pot of black ink.

"What are you doing?" Blake cried, waving his hands. "Don't do that! Don't write in the notebook!"

But the boy ignored him, dotted the blank pages with ink. Blake winced, eyes narrowed in frustration, fists clenched with rage. The boy was laughing, ridiculing Blake, tearing out the pages of the notebook.

"How dare you!" Blake screamed, a fluttering sheet of paper hitting his face. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his father's hunting knife, a gift for his twelfth birthday. His face felt hot, nails digging into his hands, clenching the blade so hard his knuckles were turning white.

He raised the weapon above his head, eyes closed, mind swirling with an uncontrollable anger. He felt nothing, his thoughts lost, actions taking over his head. All he did was guide his limbs, stabbing the sharp point into the boy's body, over and over.

***


	17. Off to Hogwarts: Part 8

Dumbledore sat at his usual place by the tables. Breakfast would be soon. The students trickled in slowly and began eating. Chatter was minimal- It was too early for everyone to be completely awake. As soon as they were all in, Dumbledore stood up proudly.

"Welcome, everyone, to your first day at Hogwarts."

He paused a moment, giving time for the students to cheer. None did. He continued awkwardly.

"I trust you all slept well. Classes will begin today. First, you will all be tested for you magical ability, on the off chance that one of these fine men..." Dumbledore gestured to Ron. Where was Harry? Ah well. "Made a mistake. After that, you will head to your classes. Each person's schedule will be posted outside this room. Good day to you all." With that, Dumbledore sat down, and began his own breakfast with a smile.

---

Alice danced past Bella and Edward, ignoring their sceptical glances towards the brilliant appearing stone that waited for them, told to measure their magic potential. She had loved everything about this school from the start- from the mysterious stairwells to the expanses of paintings. Everything was perfect…

Except for the lack of visions.

But that wouldn't ruin her mood today. Alice's private goal was to be the first tested, to discover her inner ability.

When Peter had finished his breakfast, he rolled his wheelchair to about the middle of the line. He certainly didn't want to go first. What if he ended up not being magical? Tintin would have gone first. The thought sent guilt shooting through him. Tintin. Who was dead because of a mistake he, Peter, had made.

Thirrin strutted up to the podium, trying to look confident. She really hoped she had some ability... so Edward could love her instead... She took the stone in trembling hands.

---

Meena, heart pounding, got into the line Dumbledore had created. But she hung back a bit. By now, she realized her power was... above average. And she wanted to lay low. Learn from the Professors.

Then go after Steven.

---

Thirrin held the stone and waited, expecting something magical to happen. But nothing did. Her face fell ever so slightly. She didn't have any magic. Then she remembered that the people who had no magic would take potions instead of magic class. Perfect.

Nancy looked around a little nervously. There were quite a lot of people... what if she made a fool of herself?

She looked at the stone, and wrinkled her nose. It was so ugly, and totally clashed with her outfit.

"Excuse me," she said to no one in particular. "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to touch that."

Dumbledore glanced up at the student, concerned. "Is there something wrong with the stone?" he asked gravely. Perhaps she saw the stone as dangerous. She wouldn't be the first.

Nancy shook her head, then shuddered. How handsome this teacher was...

"It totally like, _clashes_ with my outfit."

"It would only be for a second" Dumbledore argued, smiling now that he knew the reason for her hesitation. "Don't you want to know for sure if you have magic or not?"

Nancy nodded, then took a deep breath before grasping the stone. It really looked horrible with her hot-pink sweater, but she needed to know.

The stone glowed faintly.

"Does that mean I have magic?" asked Nancy eagerly.

Dumbledore nodded, smirking a little at the student's excitement. There wasn't very much magic, but it was there. "Your schedule has been posted by the doors" he informed her.

Alice approached the headmaster, her hand extended, ready to test her true potential.

She grinned as the brilliant stone, the size of a child's head, was placed into her hand, its surface smooth against her skin. She touched it lightly with her fingertips, squeezing gently, and was surprised to see light shine from the multi-coloured gems. The crystals projected sparkling images throughout the room, causing Alice to stare with wide eyes.

"It that good?" She asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Bella gripped Edward's hand, her expression clouded with worry. Alice had just held the stone, and soon it would be her turn.

"It's okay, love." Edward gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, his eyes warm, voice soothing. "There's no need to be scared."

Bella nodded, quickly glancing away. She was scared, truthfully, but for another reason. The incredible stone projected one's magical capability, showed how powerful they were.

She stepped up, smiling at the headmaster, and eagerly took the sparkling rock, stunned by its brilliance. The gems were carved into perfect shapes, multi coloured crystals reflecting luminous rays of streaming light. She wrapped her fingers around the wonder, biting her lower lip, and smiled faintly as the stone lit.

Beams of warmth glistened across her feet, glitter splashing the walls, gleaming stars producing glowing patterns. Brighter than Alice, but not by as much as she had feared.

Bella gaped at the ball of extraordinary energy shining in her hands, and in one swift movement, dropped it back onto its pedestal.

Edward's eyes grew round at Bella's incredible performance, a warm feeling rising in his chest. He was indescribably proud of her.

"That was amazing," Edward gathered Bella into his arms, pressing his lips gently against hers, pulling her close. "You're amazing."

"Thanks," Bella lowered her eyes bashfully, an invisible blush, and Edward chuckled.

"I presume it's my turn." Edward strode up to the headmaster, handling the stone with a high amount of caution. Breaking such a lovely piece of craftsmanship would be criminal.

Slowly, the rock started to glow, a comforting warmth radiating from the precious gems. The crystals flashed, and Edward gently placed the magical item back onto the pedestal.

Nancy watched in silent horror as one after another, the perfect people went up, and showed more magical talent then her. Especially that one girl. Her face slowly formed an evil frown as she sent daggers through her eyes. She would prove herself to be better than them, or her name wasn't Nancy Drew!

***

Meena watched the people in front of her take the magic rock, chewing on the ends of her hair nervously. The few people who had gotten any reaction at all from the cold jewel had created a warm glow at best, and she was almost positive her magic could surpass that. Going by all the hints Harry had dropped, anyways.

Much too soon, it was her turn. Everyone was watching her, and she could tell by their expressions they just wanted this to be over so that they could go to their respective classes.

Meena took a step forward. She could _feel_ the spell inside the rock. It was twisting madly, already reacting to her presence. She stopped, and heard someone sigh loudly.

She didn't really have a choice.

Pushing all fear aside, Meena decisively slammed her hand onto the magic-tester.

----

Mia rolled her eyes. The last girl was going towards the jewel- the magic tester- so slowly, you'd think she was doing it on purpose.

The magic-tester... how easily the word "magic" came to her thoughts. She had been sucked into the parlour tricks as easily as anything. But Mia couldn't help it- she believed in magic now, as firmly as she believed in her own synthesia-created colours.

Then her thoughts were interrupted. The girl had touched the rock.

----

A blinding, searing, silver light burst forth from the jewel. Ron swore and fell backwards. He couldn't see, couldn't move... he heard glass shattering, the room unable to contain whatever it was that had been unleashed.

----

Meena laughed wildly, pressing harder onto the stone. She was completely shrouded in her own magic. She felt it surging through her, singing in her very blood. She could feel it pushing against the walls of the castle, which trembled but held fast.

The power was everything. Nothing else mattered.

Meena pushed more of it into the stone. The spell in it twisted wildly, unable to contain the magic. Suddenly, the limit was reached. It exploded violently, the iron holder melted instantly, and all of the magic that had been surging around the room whipped back into Meena's slight frame with a loud crack.

----

Danny opened his eyes an instant before the light vanished. He saw the stone explode. Then the magic disappeared back into the girl. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her frail physical body unable to take the tremendous amount of magic, and she fell backwards onto the ground, her last maniac smile still twisting her features.


	18. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 1

Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel, etc.

_Imagination is a wonderful thing._

Dumbledore stared in awe at the girl in front of him. At least he would have, had a shard of rock not hit him in the eye. Instead, he smiled and nodded like this sort of thing happened all the time. Inside, he was petrified. This girl was far too powerful. More than him, more than even Voldemort. What could he do? Suddenly, he had the most brilliant thought of his life. Everything would be all right if he used it. Nobody would have to fear a new Dark Wizard's rise to-

"What if-" he began, savouring his intelligence. Then he stopped. "Hey! There's a hole in my sock!" His brilliant idea forgotten, Dumbledore set off to find a solution to this new tragedy.

---

Snape straightened, regaining his composure as quickly as he dared. Sharply flicking his wrist, he motioned for his students- those not gifted with magic- to follow, taking off in a powerful stride.

He passed the stone corridors, trailing his hand gently over the carvings, and in a few minutes, had made his way to the entrance of his classroom.

The dungeon.

"Hurry up." Snape muttered with a strict tone, shoving some boy along. "We don't have all day."

Exploding stone or not, he would continue classes as usual.

---

Thirrin marched along with the rest of the class, trying once again to look very confident and not the least bit worried. This was her chance. Now Edward would love her instead.

***

Ron seeing that Dumbledore was concentrating on something, cleared his throat nervously. "Er… those who got a… reaction… from the stone," he said, trying not to look at the unconscious girl who was beginning to stir, "Go up the stairs to the second landing- third floor on your right is where you will have your first class."

---

Edward followed the boy's direction and entered his classroom, followed by Alice, Bella, and Nancy. A chill settled in the air. He swiftly settled into one of the seats, grinning as Bella and Alice sat down beside him.

The room was well decorated, luminous drapery positioned in every corner. Light shone through a cracked window, sparkling against the marble tiles, the student's desks glistening, polished.

"What do you suppose this is?" Edward murmured, drifting a hand over a snow coloured feather. "Some sort of... magic item?"

His attention was drawn to Alice, whose eyes remained glued to the peculiar item, soft giggles escaping her lips. She was studying the delicate object, peering all around, a cheerful expression plastered on her features.

"Something funny?" Edward cocked an eyebrow, intrigued.

Alice gave a slight shrug, smiling. "Any idea what this is?"

Edward shook his head, frowning. "No."

"If I'm not mistaken, I think it's just a regular feather." Alice paused, the slightest bit disheartened. "I don't know, I guessed I just expected something more... extraordinary?"

Meena opened her eyes slowly in time to see her classmates disappear up the stairs. What had happened after the stone exploded? She remembered te feeling of power, but nothing else.

She sat up and saw Ron looking at her nervously. "Classroom's second floor, third room," he stammered quickly before disappearing up a staircase.

Meena winced and followed the directions. The stairwell did not move, and she wa soon sitting in a desk with the other students. Fortunately, they did not give her any special attention. Of course, they did not know any more about magic than she did- they probably didn't know the implications of the stone's reaction.

Relaxing slightly, Meena closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, the last fragments of rock floating off like pieces of glitter.

---

Dumbledore strode towards his classroom, smiling widely. He would impress those students from the start. He cast an invisibility spell on himself, then entered. After a few minutes, the class was starting to get restless. Where was the teacher?

"It is I!" Dumbledore said from the middle of the room, taking off the spell.

Nancy screamed quite loudly as the teacher randomly appeared out of thin air. Then she realized that, since she had magic, she might be able to learn how to make _herself_ invisible too. Then she could spy on this magnificent teacher without him knowing.

"How did you do that?!" she asked eagerly.

Dumbledore smirked condescendingly at the eager girl.

"Magic," he replied.

He walked to the front of the classroom, and drew the word "Magic" in the air with his wand. "Now," he began, "What is magic?"

---

Meena felt the twinge of magic behind her. She looked around, but there was nothing there- that her physical self could see, at least. Frowning, she tried to figure out what the spell was, but before she did, the magic fell away. Meena blinked. Where there had been nobody, now there was the Headmaster. An invisibility spell! How useful! A shame he had unravelled it before she could decipher it...

Then the man- Dumbledore- began talking. An introduction to magic. Meena shifted in her seat restlessly. She wanted to get _started_, not have to bear through pointless explanation.

She rested her chin on her hands and tried to pay attention anyways, but was soon overcome by boredom. Meena caught herself staring at the back of the head of the girl sitting in front of her. What _made_ magic anyways? Why were some people so weak, and others so strong? And how about her? Her magic seemed to be different from what the others defined as possible... was her magic of a different brand altogether?

Meena chewed at the ends of her hair and concentrated, trying to sense the magic in the girl in front of her. She encountered no resistance, and had soon found the magic; a weak, flickering thread of power wrapped around... what? Her soul?

Meena gave the magic an experimental jerk, but the weakness of the power itself seemed to bear no relation to the power with which it was attached to the girl's spirit. The link held fast, and her pull had no effect, save for a disturbance which spread across the girl's mind like ripples in a pool.

Meena pulled back her senses and thought about what she had seen (she could think of no other word for her magic-sense.) Magic seemed to be part of a person- just like any personality trait. So it was firmly attached to the sense of being of the person. But what if there were a way to separate the magic from the owner? The implications were enormous! She could have it _all!_ Become even _more_ powerful, while everyone else became weak! Meena ducked her head, her long black hair falling like a curtain to cover her face, and the twisted, starving expression that had appeared there.

***

Snape entered the classroom, his jet-black robe swaying as he rushed by, heading for the front. The students were stationed at numerous desks, bustling about, their obnoxiously chatty voices sending icy chills of irritation up his spine. He was aware that these miscreants were incapable of using magic, an utter waste of precious time, in his opinion. Complete failures.

"Alright, listen up!" Snape directed, flicking his pale wrist towards one of the giant black cauldrons. "You're in my classroom now, and I am your teacher, Professor Snape! I have no patience for your useless questions, your pointless demands, your insignificant conversations." He paused, studying their nervous expressions. "Now, we're going to start by learning a variety of basic potions, extremely simple. How many of you trouble makers know how to create a healing potion?"

***

Nancy stared at the teacher, not really paying attention to what he was saying, and more thinking of him in general. How manly he was... with that long white beard, the twinkling blue eyes...

For what seemed like an eternity, Nancy sat there, pondering Dumbledore with all his awesomeness, when her mind suddenly went blank. What had she been thinking of again? She struggled to remember, but without any success- as if someone had just tampered with her mind.

***

Mia sighed, refusing to be intimidated by this bat-like man.

"We're _beginners_," she said, exasperated. "And I was dragged here against my will. How were we supposed to know to study?"

---

Snape felt rage boil over onto his dark features, causing his loud voice to echo off of the stone walls. Not only were these incompetent children lacking talent, but they lacked a heaping amount of knowledge, as well. How did the headmaster expect him to teach a group of such ignorant dimwits?

"I have no tolerance for your backtalk," Snape replied coldly, tone icy, starting to write on the cracked chalk board. "Or your pitiful troubles. I have a class to teach, and this will not be a room where you and your problematic acquaintances socialize."

Snape slid over to a wooden bookcase of polished oak. Bottles of multi coloured liquid filled the shelves, glistening under the morbid light.

"These," He spoke, motioning with his pale, defined fingers. "Are the most basic potions, that even _you_ might be able to create."

Snape held up a curved green bottle. He started speaking quickly, words sharp, eyeing the students cautiously. "Healing potion. Designed to heal the bearer's injuries with maximum efficiency."

He grabbed a pink vial, the lustrous substance sparkling like rare gemstones. "Love potion. Designed to create an undeniable desire, an inevitable feeling of passion, rather then actual love."

Choosing a triangular container, the bright blue liquid opaque, he showed it to the students. "Shield potion. Designed to protect the bearer from whatever he desires, up to a maximum of a few minutes. Initiates immediately, but cannot be used against magic."

Next was another pink vial, the rosy substance resembling the second potion he had explained. "Instant death. One drop of this lethal combination will end your life. It works by travelling through your body, destroying all functions with an invisible force."

Snape tapped three other clear bottles, all the same, misty grey color. "Freezing potion. Designed to freeze the victim for a few minutes, preventing them from moving. Emotional befuddlement. Designed to affect the victim's emotions, causing them to become extremely sensitive. Utterly useless for combat, unless the bearer's strategy is humiliation. Claw potion. Designed to grow long, pointed nails on the drinker's fingers."

Snape strode away from the containers, moving up and down the cluttered aisles. "I expect for each of you to have written everything down, an exam will be held tomorrow. Mediocre scores are nothing to be proud of, seeing how your textbooks contain the correct information. Pages fifteen to one hundred."

---

Danny jerked slightly at the mention of the healing potion. Then he turned to Peter. "If we're good in class," he whispered. "Maybe we can convince Snape to heal you." Peter said nothing, just nodded, and Danny turned back to the front of the class, fingers drumming a random rhythm on the table. He was feeling edgy, hyper. He hadn't taken his medication this morning either. He'd have to remember to ask Dumbledore for some tonight... what a stupid name. Dumble-door. Dumb-le-door. That made a nice rhythm. The tempo of his fingers changed, tapping out the Headmaster's name. Dumb-le-door. Dumb-le-door. The door of the dungeon was nice... Dumb-door-le. Door-le-dumb.

---

Snape stiffened as he heard the slightest noise, a distinct interruption to his lesson. He turned his head to the left, discovering the source. A sandy haired boy sat in one of the seats, such a disrespectful child, holding not an ounce of the knowledge Snape possessed.

That student deserved punishment.

"You," Snape directed, pointing a lean, sharp finger at the boy. "Stand up and come to the blackboard. I would like you to recite exactly what I just taught. The basic potions."

---

Danny looked up, his fingers stopping in mid-tap. So much for gaining Snape's favour. "I- I-" he stammered. But the teacher's icy gaze broke him down. Danny got out of his seat and headed towards the blackboard. What _had_ Snape said? Healing... then shield... no, fighting. No, door. Dumb-le-door! That was it!

Danny picked up a piece of chalk. "Healing," he wrote in big block letters. "Heals the drinker from all injuries." Then what? He glanced towards the shelf for clues, but the blank, label-less vials held no answers.

Ah well. He was used to being put down by teachers. May as well make the best of it.

"The Danny Chaiken Potion," he wrote. "Bestows the awesomest of awesomeness on the drinker. Also turns them into a chicken."

Hah. See what Professor Dumb-le-door's Snake thought of _that._

---

Snape watched as the incompetent student started to write down the information, a concentrated expression plastered across his features. He wanted to laugh at the rude boy, ridicule his ignorance, but decided against it, seeing as he was doing okay.

So far.

Snape noticed that his victim, Danny Chaiken, was searching the shelves for indications, his eyes flickering back and forth. He gave a slight snicker, not bothering to admit that the vials weren't labelled on purpose. He had taught many children before, learning their simple tricks every year.

The boy continued to fill the powdery chalk board with words, quickly giving Snape second thoughts. Maybe Mr. Chaiken wasn't as stupid as he seemed. Perhaps he had actually been paying attention...

But as Snape leaned in for a second look, he realized that the neatly constructed sentences held no meaning. They read "The Danny Chaiken Potion. Bestows the awesomest of awesomeness on the drinker. Also turns them into a chicken.".

Snape quickly felt his blood start to send fiery jolts of rage into his balled fists, teeth clenched with pure anger. This student was trying to make a mockery out of the potions, the lesson, the class. And by the sound of the children's joyful laughter, he had succeeded.

"Stop this outrageous behaviour at once!" Snape shouted, tone ice cold. He could feel the frigid room growing silent, a satisfactory result. "Mr. Chaiken! Since you appear to be quite fond of potions, you may serve a three hour detention after classes. And I presume you know where the headmaster's office is located?"

Thirrin sat up straight in her seat at the mention of the Love Potion. Oh, it was sitting right there in front of her... So close, and yet, so far. She would have to come back after class or something. This would take planning.

Peter smiled cautiously at Danny as his friend made his way back to his seat. "Too bad," he whispered. How on earth would they make a good impression now?

Danny gave a half-smile, his eyes slightly out-of-focus. Why was he here again? Door-le-dumb had told him. No, not door-le-dumb. What was his name? Door-dumb. Door-dead. Dumb door. Le le le...

Violet watched silently as the class progressed, taking notes. Maybe there would be something here that could bring Sunny and Klaus back to life... would Sunny hate her? Would she still have red eyes and suck blood? Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of her deceased family. Of course they'd hate her, even if she _did_ manage to bring them back. What was the point?

Blake sat at the back of the classroom, watching attentively as Professor Snape taught them the basics regarding simple potions. He quickly scribbled notes down on a crumpled piece of paper, dreading the test that would be occurring tomorrow. It was only the first day, and they were already being assigned homework?

He remembered what had happened this morning, how that stupid boy had nearly destroyed his mysterious, blank notebook. Tearing out the precious pages, laughing in Blake's face, taking pleasure in his misery... Blake was glad the head boy was dead.

One less problem to deal with.

***


	19. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 2

Bella slowly tapped her quill against the wooden desk, a gentle rhythm of pure impatience. She didn't want to _watch_ the headmaster turn invisible- she wanted to learn to use the power herself. Bella watched him speak, Dumbledore's expression relaxed, straggly white hair swinging in the air. She could see his chest rise and fall, heart pumping warm blood through his veins, the red liquid travelling with a broad sturdiness. Her narrowed eyes flickered to his wrinkly neck, noting his strong pulse.

Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a lustrous scent. Her eyes to widened in alarm. A scent of musty wood drifted across her sensitive nose, sweet ginger, gentle lavender, a taste so compelling it was painful. It felt as though someone was burning her throat, a torch of scalding hot, white fire, human blood being the only cure.

"No," Bella squeezed her eyelids shut, gripping the steady chair, rocking back and forth. "No, no, no."

Edward observed the headmaster attentively, copying down every word that escaped his mouth. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, aggravated by the fact that he couldn't hear thoughts, an ability he had relied on much too greatly.

Now that it was missing, Edward felt hollow, a piece of his mind gone forever. Not only was he incapable of using his special gift, Alice had lost hers as well, strengthening the nervous aura that now haunted their very essence.

The only fact that handed Edward a slight amount of relief was that Bella was now a vampire, her bloodlust contained, more then he could have ever asked for. The transformation had upset him greatly, her soul trapped by eternal darkness, dread and sorrow clouding his vision. But rather than leaving his love behind while he went on this journey, too vulnerable and delicate to risk the travel, she was now here at Hogwarts, strong and powerful. He needn't worry as much.

"No," Edward was startled by Bella's frantic voice, sending horrified chills up his spine. "No, no, no."

He whipped his head around, reaching for her pale hand, eyes wide with confusion. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She had her eyes closed in agony, lustrous brown hair swaying across her pained, beautiful features. Her expression was covered by a hard mask of frigid caution, hiding her frenzied, shocked face.

"Bella, tell me what's wrong." Edward asked again, this time more panicked, tone growing unsure. He squeezed her soft fingers, bringing her closer, a jagged fear ripping at his stony skin.

"I-" Bella whispered, voice hissing through her clenched teeth. Her words shook, restraint holding her back with an incredible force. "I- I want to- I'm thirsty! His blood- so tempting... help me, Edward."

Alice tilted her head to the side, noticing how Bella was gripping her seat, rigid with horror. She stiffened in alarm, sensing the bloodlust, an undeniable event that had been waiting to happen.

Yet she hadn't expected it to arrive in such a rush, a sudden wave of torment. And especially not during their first day of classes.

"Bella," Alice hissed, waving her pale hand in front of her pained face, noting that the students were beginning to stare. "People are starting to look. I know it's hard, but try to ignore it. We'll go hunting as soon as this class is over."

"Okay," Bella managed to whisper, trying to suppress the fire that raged in her chest. She had to ignore the burning desire for human blood, block out all thoughts, concentrate on remaining in her seat. She reached for Edward's smooth, pale hand, eyes still shut, squeezing it in fear.

"That's it, love." Edward murmured, gently smoothing her hair with the back of his hand. "Just focus on something else. Focus on my voice."

Bella slowly nodded, listening to his soft, sheer tone, hearing only his calming words. He spoke perfectly, a soothing rhythm of warm honey, gradually eliminating the agonizing flames into a fluttering dust.

She opened her eyes, squinting, turning her head away from the front of the room. She leaned against Edward, burying her face into his chest. "Thanks."

"We'll go hunting soon," Edward promised, delicately kissing her forehead. "I know it hurts, but I believe in you. You're the strongest person I've ever met."

Bella quickly wrapped her arms around her waist, breathing in his wonderful scent, forgetting the horrific feeling of blood lust.

For now.

---

Dumbledore stood confidently in front of the class. They had been impressed by a simple invisibility spell.

"Magic- the art which separates Muggles from Wizards." he began dramatically. "The art which can make so much possible, and yet cause so much pain and misery when done wrong. Today, you will be learning to harness this power using a few simple spells. You may find it difficult, but remember: Atlantis wasn't built in a day. It took three. Now, before we begin, a short history..." as Dumbledore continued his speech, the students` attention drifted off. Dumbledore refused to be daunted. He ploughed through the half-hour long speech, finally wrapping it up when one of the students looked as if his speech was causing her physical pain.

"Alrighty then" he said, smiling. "Do you all want to try?"

***

Snape smoothed out his long, black robe with the palms of his hands, eyes scanning the classroom for any sign of precarious chatter. He'd rather get rid of any other miscreants before his lesson began, seeing how he detested interruptions.

"Shield potion," Snape spoke coldly, drawing their attention. He passed his cautious fingertips over the towering, dark cauldron, stirring the mixture with ease. The long, wooden stick caused the blue liquid to bubble, instantly producing an aroma of rotten parsnip and celery. "Open your textbooks to page sixty one. You all have ten minutes to follow the instructions and create the proper potion." He eyed their bored expressions, tone growing louder. "What are you waiting for? Get started!"

Danny smiled vaguely as he opened the battered, dog-eared textbook in front of him. Six-tee-one. Shield potion. Could be useful, but he couldn't seem to focus on the list of ingredients. Danny closed his eyes. How was he going to get through this class?

Mia snapped open the book. Shield potion, huh? Maybe this would _prove_ magic existed and that she wasn't caught in a dream. She headed towards the cupboard Professor Snape had indicated and rifled through the contents, relieved to find that these, unlike the potions, were labelled.

The names, however, were proof enough magic existed. Griffin claw, dragon blood, and unicorn water were hardly among the items included in a common grocery-store list...

Violet suppressed a cry of exasperation. Why couldn't he have taught them the poison? Shield potion! How useless! She wanted to die, not protect herself! Maybe she could steal some poison after class... if what Snape said was true, it would bring a relatively painless death.

Blake carefully strode over to the wooden cupboard, figuring this was the area where the students were expected to retrieve the proper supplies. The textbook had asked for multiple ingredients, unbelievable substances that Blake himself would never have imagined. Newt eyes? Pixie teeth? Spider hair? Who in their right mind would ever choose to keep those strange objects?

He gripped a large jar labelled as "griffin feathers" with one hand, pulling off the secured lid with the other. Inside were an array of brightly coloured feathers, tips sparkling like polished diamonds, soft and light. He reached in cautiously, fearing their true potential, and plucked a brilliant yellow one from the magnificent pile.

***

"We will be starting with a simple spell." Dumbledore said, clearing his throat to quiet down the students. "First, I want you to try just saying the spell aloud. _Wingardium Leviosa_." He gave the students a few minutes to practise, then caught their attention again. "Alrighty then. If you will get into a nice straight line in front of my desk, I will pass out wands for you to attempt the proper movement."

Meena was jerked back to her senses by sudden silence. The speech had ended. Finally, she was going to learn how to properly harness the Power!

Nancy paid strict attention. Maybe if she listened hard enough, she would become better, gain enough power to outclass the snobbish perfect people. So she nearly bounced out of her seat when Dumbledoor announced that they would begin.

Edward stroked Bella's hair, breathing in her flowery scent, barely listening to the professor's instructions. He could feel her frowning against his chest, upset by her recent desires, ashamed to have been exposed by such weakness. Knowing that a young vampire's bloodlust could be incredibly lethal, he resumed counting the seconds as they ticked by, waiting for the strange class to end. Bella desperately needed to hunt.

Ears perking up at the sound of an instruction, Edward pressed his lips to Bella's cheek, whispering rhythmically. "I know you can do it. Just concentrate on my voice, and ignore that horrible desire. We'll have collected our wands in no time."

Edward felt Bella nod, clutching his hand nervously, and rose slowly. Bella pressed to his side, they carefully glided towards the large desk, cautiously joining the line of bustling students.

---

Meena rose from her seat slowly, dark eyes fixed on the wands the Headmaster was passing out. She already had a wand- the one she had collected from the cave floor. It was in her pocket, an uncomfortable pressure against her thigh. Would it differ in any way from those being handed out now?

She got in line hesitantly and took the wand she was given. Meena winced a bit when it touched her skin- she could _feel_ its presence, trying to suck magic out of her to use in its own tight rules. It was an unpleasant feeling at best.

Meena retook her seat and fidgeted slightly, worried she would not be able to control how much power went into her spell once she had said the incantation. The episode with the power-tester had been enough to let her know the dangers of that...

***

Snape strode through the crowded aisles, black robe swaying at his feet, eyeing the student's potions. Most were pathetic attempts, disgraceful combinations of the wrong items, mistakes that only strengthened his opinion on their uselessness. He approached a boy who was helplessly trapped in a wheelchair. _His_ potion appeared surprisingly efficient.

"Hmm, well done." Snape muttered, studying the dark, bubbling cauldron, noticing it's bright gleam. The dark blue liquid boiled correctly, the distinct color, the strange odour, the right procedure. "Maybe you aren't quite of a failure as the rest of them."

Peter glanced up at the teacher. "Thank you?" he replied uncertainly. He certainly did enjoy making the potion; the thrill of stirring, the excitement of brewing magic. Maybe _this _was something he was decent at.

***

Dumbledore pulled out his own wand, and waited until the students were seated. "A swish, and a flick" he instructed, demonstrating the proper technique. Again, he gave the students a few minutes to practise, occasionally correcting them. "Now..." he said in a dramatic voice, "It's time to make magic"

---

Bella collected her wand in an instant, avoiding the headmaster's gaze, pressing her face into Edward's chest. She concentrated all of her thoughts on the polished stick in her hand, trying to block out the raging fire burning in her throat.

Sitting down, Bella muttered the incantation, flicking her wrist with a swift flash. She watched as her feather wriggled an inch to the right, moved a little to the left... then stopped, motionless.

---

Nancy recited the chant and swished her wrist over and over, yet the feather seemed to not want to move. Once, she thought she saw it wiggle, but then again...

She peeked over to see how others were doing. Some had gotten it to rise a bit already...

"Sir!" she called out. "I think my feather is defective!"

---

Meena glanced over to the other people's attempts. Some had managed to get the feather to hover the slightest bit before dropping back onto the desk and jerking about. She rolled her shoulders back, stalling. The wand felt no more pleasant in her grip than it had five minutes ago, and the teacher was starting to glance at her with more than a little suspicion in his eyes...

She frowned and twirled the wand around her fingers. If only it would stop trying to drain her power, then she would be able to concentrate, find out how to get around casting the spell...

Meena closed her eyes, flicked the wand, hoped for the best, and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa."

She gave a little gasp and dropped the wand as if scalded. She had felt a considerable amount of power careen out of her- much more than she had intended- draining through the innocuous stick. She opened her eyes, and saw the feather fluttering on the desk as if caught by a strong breeze- a result that did not match up with the amount of power that had left her.

Meena looked around, but there were no obvious signs as to where the magic had gone. Troubled, she glanced at the others to see if they had noticed anything suspicious. But they were all intent on their feathers.

_What had she done?_

***

Ron walked slowly through the hallways, bored.

Dumbledore had appointed him to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, as well as see to any newcomers. Hermione had not shown up yet- he was starting to regret his anger towards her- and Harry was still missing. The morning had been uneventful to say the least.

Ron reached the portrait hole and pushed it open, wondering if Harry had slept in. He climbed the stairs and knocked on the dorm door. "Hello? Harry?"

No answer.

He pushed the door open slowly...

"ARGHHHH!!!!!"

There was blood- blood everywhere... Harry's corpse lay sprawled on the bed, surrounded by red stains and yellowish-gray gore... small white papers lay around him, rippeded and stained with the blood of his friend…

Ron pelted down the stairs, almost tripping in his haste, sprinted down the corridor, and slammed into the door of the dungeon.

"MURDER! HELP!! MURDER IN THE CASTLE!"


	20. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 3

Dumbledore forced a smile. None of the students were doing very well, but he didn't want to discourage them. That one student, the powerful one...why wasn't she bothering? What was she up to? She had more than enough power to lift a feather into the air. Again, he glanced at her suspiciously. Well, it was time to end class anyway.

"Okay everyone, line up again and return your wands in an orderly fashion, please" he caught the class' attention. "Errr...Good job. Don't give up!"

He made his way to the door, opened it, the looked down. WAY down.

***

Snape narrowed his eyes with frustration, glaring as one of the older students came barrelling into his classroom, screaming in terror. It was Mr. Weasley, frantically waving his arms, face bright red with exertion.

"What in the world are you yelling about?" Snape demanded, turning to face the disruptive boy, frowning coldly. "There's been a murder?"

---

Yes! A distraction! Now he could escape detention!

Danny sprang to his feet and slipped out the door. Dumble-door's Snake was talking to the Head Boy, who was looking very anxious. Fortunately, neither of them noticed him as he disappeared into a side hallway.

Although Snape did give a bit of a start when Danny burst into laughter as he began climbing the stairs.

---

Violet looked around. The teacher had gone. Just the opportunity she needed.

Abandoning her congealed potion, Violet hurried towards the front of the class and rummaged through the cupboard.

Where had he put the poison?

***

Minou trotted through the thick forest. It was very calm, the silence only broken by the rustle of leaves over head, and the occasional call of a bird. Suddenly, he stopped. Did he smell.....cats? Yes, yes.... he could hear their pathetic mews now that he was listening. Darn creatures. Perhaps he should teach them a lesson.....

Minou continued on his way, the bodies of the former cat clan strewn across the ground. That was better.

***

Meena heard the headmaster give a gasp of shock. She whirled around, wondering what had happened. She saw nothing out of the ordinary... the door was open, and a light breeze was coming in...

Wait- a breeze?

Meena slipped towards the door and looked out, then followed the teacher's gaze downwards. She could just barely make out the Hogwarts Castle hundreds of meters below, as well as the hole from which the classroom had torn itself. Meena resisted the urge to laugh.

At least now she knew where her missing Power had gone.

***

Peter's eyes widened. Murder? More deaths? When would the insanity stop? Well, he, at least, would keep calm. He remained at his desk.

Maybe, when the professor returned, he would heal Peter. It was certainly within his power. Filled with hope, Peter awaited a new chance at life.

---

Thirrin listened to the red-haired boy, a slightly horrified expression on her face. Someone had been murdered? This school was not sounding safe...

But as people started filing out of the class, she suddenly realized that this could be her chance. As unfortunate as this little incident was, it had given her the perfect distraction, the perfect opportunity to steal the love potion.

So she strode across the classroom, trying not to look guilty, and quickly snatched up the little pink potion.

Edward was _hers_ now.

---

Violet heard footsteps approaching the classroom just as she spotted the familiar pink potion- the poison. She snatched it from the shelf triumphantly and slipped out of the classroom. Another girl was also rummaging through the pantry. Now what could _she _want?

---

"I... upstairs... Harry... dead in his room... blood... everywhere," Ron gasped.

Snape froze. Mr. Potter was dead? Who could have possibly committed such a heinous crime? "Mr. Weasley, come with me." He flicked his finger at the exhausted boy, walking out of the dreary room. "The rest of you, class is over!"

---

Mia was the last to leave the classroom, other than that weird guy in his wheelchair. Her potion wasn't as bad as some, but still... the teacher had put her on the edge so much that she could barely concentrate.

This afternoon she had Divination. That sounded like something she could be better at. Reading auras couldn't be _too _far off from telling the future, right?

***

Nancy marched over to the freaky girl and the handsome teacher. "Excuse me," she said loudly. "I have a complaint. My feather..." she trailed off, following their gaze. They were flying.

Oh my gosh. They were flying.

She had to remain calm, and… and... and...

She screamed.

"Shush" Dumbledore told the silly girl, then glared at Meena. He was sure that she was responsible for the floating classroom. "Would you mind letting us down?" he asked, forcing himself to be polite. It wouldn't be smart to get on her bad side...

"I..." began Meena, backing away slowly. "It wasn't me," she said. "I don't know what happened, but it wasn't me."

***

Minou crept slowly forward. He was nearly there; soon, Hogwarts castle would be in sight. Before it did, Minou noticed something strange. There was something floating, dark against the sky. It almost looked like a classroom....but no. It couldn't be. Just to make sure, he transformed, and cast a spell to lower it. It flipped upside-down instead. But even _that_ was difficult- a powerful spell seemed to be holding it in place. Strange....

***

The Headmaster seemed on the point of answering Meena when the classroom gave an abrupt jerk, shuddered, and flipped over. Part of the wall collapsed, and before Meena could react, she realized that she was falling towards the ground at an alarming speed. More than that, she was headed towards the lake.

She didn't have time to think- only register that, at this speed, the impact with the water would be equal to hitting cement.

Meena flung out her arms and threw the Power in front of her. It struck the water with the force of a charging dragon, the surface of the lake broke, and Meena was enveloped in its watery depths, her breath driven out of her in one terrifying second.

***

Snape walked into the classroom.

Peter smiled widely. The professor had returned! "Sir," he called out, his voice shaking a bit. "May I talk to you for a minute, please?" He hoped that the professor would understand.

Snape turned to face one of his students, the boy who had decently replicated the shield potion. He sat in a wheelchair, asking for Snape's attention, eyes bright with innocence. Briefly wondering why the child remained in the chaos ridden classroom, he cocked an eyebrow, curious.

"Yes, you may. What is it?"

"Well, sir..." Peter began nervously, "I can see the immense power of potion making, and I was wondering..." he hesitated, "if it could help me to walk again."

***

Without warning, Dumbledore was falling through the air. What had happened? Where was the floor? Before he could end up as a splat on the ground, he morphed into a phoenix and flapped his wings. The pain was excruciating, but anything was better than hitting the ground. He landed gracefully, then, remembering the students, glanced around. What a perfect way to test their knowledge of the new spell!

---

Nancy screamed even louder now that she was actually falling towards her death. The ground was coming closer, her life flashing before her eyes...

Something below her caught her eye. It was a really strange animal, but it had wings. And it was flying directly below her. An idea struck her. If this worked...

---

"Edward?" Bella called softly, tone melodically graceful. She felt herself falling through the air, warm currents whistling through her brown hair. "Why are we... falling?"

She craned her neck, searching for Edward, hearing nothing but silence. Around her others plummeted towards the ground, eyes frantic, limbs flailing wildly.

Giving a quiet giggle, Bella found it strange that she remained so aggravatingly calm. Now that she was a vampire, nearly indestructible, free falling felt extraordinary. The solid earth wouldn't hurt her, merely provide a surface to halt her lightning quick drop from the blue skies.

Bella watched as the castle grew closer with every second, lovely green grass sparkling in the luminous sun, streams of light reflecting off of the lake.

Three.

Two.

One.

Bella hit the ground in a cloud of dust, grinning.

---

With a loud THUD Nancy landed on the flying thing. It was kind of...

feathery.

Weird. But Nancy hung on tight. This was her only hope to survive...

---

Meena emerged from the dark lake, spluttering and soaked to the skin. She treaded water, trying to get her bearings. Thanks to her Power, she was uninjured.

The shore was close by. Meena struck out towards it, cutting through the water. Her strokes were strong and sure; she had been a swimmer, once. Before... everything.

***

Danny reached the main hall where he had last seen the Headmaster. He waited impatiently, feeling like he was about to burst out of his skin. He needed his medicine _now._

***

Snape eyed the boy suspiciously, pondering his simple request. This handicapped student wished to be healed, hoping that Snape would hand him the gift of reparation, a reasonably difficult task. That certain healing potion required many rare delicacies, distant magical items- and he had no intention of parting with the completed result.

"You wish to walk?" Snape asked, studying the helpless pupil, scrutinizing his expression. There was no hint of hidden meaning; a face of pure modesty, truly unmasked. This boy had been strongly successful with his previous lesson, concocting a sufficient replica, an impressive feat. Perhaps it was time for Snape to demonstrate his _own _amazing potential.

"I will help you." Snape agreed coldly, tone bitter, attempting to show nothing but solemn certainty. "But in return, I expect you to continue your progress during class. Do we have an agreement?"

***

Alice strode through the fields, having landed safely. She could see that Bella and Edward had both landed with ease. The two other teens were nowhere in sight- however, as Alice could not see tell-tale blood splatters, she assumed they were alive.

But assumptions can be wrong.

---

Meena grabbed onto the dock at the edge of the lake and pulled herself out. She felt like a drowned rat.

Passing her hands slowly over her clothing, she dried herself off with the Power as she looked around.

The castle wasn't too far away. She saw, with a smile, that the classroom she had accidentally caused to hover was still in the air.

Now all that was left to see was how the others had fared.

---

The beast finally noticed Nancy on its back, and gave a loud screech. It angled itself towards the ground, and gently started to fall, wings still beating hard. Hopefully this wasn't a mean animal, and would let Nancy get off without difficulty.

No such luck. It turned suddenly in mid-air and soared above the lake, trying to shake her off. It didn't help that the feathers were quite slippery...

Slowly, almost as if in slow motion, Nancy slid off the thing's back and free-fell towards the dark waters below. At least she animal had brought her down, so she didn't have that far to fall.

With a large sploosh, Nancy hit the water, doing a perfect pencil-dive to ensure she didn't hurt herself. All those diving lessons certainly paid off. And the swimming ones too, since she was now quite far from shore.

---

With relief, Dumbledore saw Miss Drew fall into the water with barely a splash. She must have landed safely. However, she was a bit far out. Dumbledore muttered quietly to himself, but waded out into the water, then swam out to the girl.

***

Snape made his way over to his wooden cupboard, fingers reaching for the numerous bottles, rummaging through the grand array of magical rarities. He quickly plucked a dull green potion from the filled shelf, briskly grabbing two bright orange feathers, and strode back to the handicapped boy.

He slowly poured the fizzling liquid into a meagre pottery bowl, watching as a cloud of smoke arose from the container, filling the air with a breeze of lavender olives. Carefully adding the two radiant feathers, one by one, Snape lightly stirred the bubbling mixture with a polished oak spoon.

"Drink this." Snape directed, shoving the healing potion towards the motionless boy. He cautiously studied his emotionless expression, hoping that he had fully demonstrated his stunning abilities. "The effects should begin within the next few minutes."

---

Peter nodded nervously. He was at a crossroad. Whatever happened here, his life would be changed forever. He glanced into the cauldron. Was the potion even safe to drink? He took a deep breath, hoped that the potion wouldn't poison him, and took a long drink.

Peter felt strange. There was a gradual tingling sensation all over his body, getting sharper and sharper. Then, he felt it. A dull throbbing in his legs. He could feel his legs! A moment later, he could twitch one of them. Then the other one. With a burst of energy, he jumped out of the wheelchair that had been his prison for far too long. He was free! "Thank you!" he called breathlessly as he ran unsteadily into the hallway. He had to tell everyone!


	21. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 4

Dumbledore calmly waited for the girl to climb out of the water. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern, once she had stood up.

Nancy looked up at him with big eyes. "No! Look at this!" She motioned towards herself. "My outfit is ruined!"

Dumbledore shook his head and walked away.

***

Danny paced back and forth the length of the teacher's table. Where _was_ Dumb-door?

Finally, he came into the hall. He was slightly damp, but seemed uninjured, and was moving much too slowly for Danny's liking.

"Dumbd- I mean... Dingledumb... or..." Danny stopped and regained his composure. "Headmaster!" he called. Dumbledore looked up. "Yes, Mr. Chaiken?"

"I..." began Danny, wondering how to explain. "I need some medication. For bipolar. Do you think you could make some? Or cure me?" Danny hopped from foot to foot, a ball of nervous energy.

The Headmaster, to Danny's dismay, shook his head.

"You need to go to the Dungeon and see Professor Snape," he said. "He should have the medication."

Danny's stomach dropped to his feet.

***

Mia glanced around. A few students were drifting into the Great Hall. There seemed to be fewer than before... even so, there was less than a dozen people, tops. She sighed. None of them, with the possible exception of Nancy, were candidates for a friend. So she would be lonely for the rest of the summer. What else was new?

---

Violet strode along the corridors, poison in hand. This was it- the final moments of her life. Count Olaf would never get her again. The Headmaster would find her lifeless body in the hallway, and nothing would… _could_… be done to further complicate her miserable, unfortunate life.

She popped the cork, tilted her head back, and downed the small bottle in one gulp.

Nothing.

The potions teacher had said it would be instant, painless death!

Tears clouding her vision, she walked slowly to the Great Hall. Of course he wouldn't keep _poison _in a student cabinet. The vial she held was probably a placebo. She was so stupid.

She threw the empty bottle to the ground just outside the Hall, where it shattered uselessly.

Violet glanced up and met the eyes of the red-head girl- Thirrin.

She felt something shift in her, and a second later had taken several steps towards the girl, wanting nothing more than to hold her close and feel their lips meet.

Then, she felt a sharp pain in her feet. She glanced down. She had trodden on the shattered potion bottle.

Violet spotted a small label on what had been the bottom of the vial. She scooped it out of the small pile of glass and read the spidery handwriting.

_Love Potion._

Choking back a painful sob, Violet ran from the hallway.

If there had been any doubt in her mind before, it was now gone.

The highest tower beckoned.

***

Ron wiped the last tears from his eyes as he headed in the general direction of the Great Hall. Snape had been useless. He had barely glanced at Harry's body before saying that such instances lay in Dumbledore's responsibility and striding off. Of all the spineless jerks...

***

Dumbledore watched the boy leave, then left the Great Hall as well. It had been a while since he'd been upstairs- it was about time to check the owlery. He muttered to himself as he stumbled up the several flights of staircases- he was getting too old for this sort of thing. He needed a new method of transportation. A flying carpet, perhaps. Or something more exciting- an ostrich. That would be fun. Distracted, Dumbledore almost walked into the door of the owlery. He climbed through the small entrance and glanced around for his owl. It flew over to him, dropping a letter and a small parcel into his hands. He opened the letter first. Oh dear....Mia's parents had both been killed in a car accident. How tragic. He would have to tell the poor girl once he returned downstairs. He then glanced at the package. It was addressed from someone whose name Dumbledore didn't recognise. "Minou"... Shrugging, he tore it open. Inside, there was a book. The title was emblazoned on the front in ominous white letters while a silhouette of a crow was depicted in mid-flap below. "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell." It seemed interesting enough. It was rather large, though. He flipped it open to the first page, and began to read...

---

Danny walked quickly down the hallways, sweating buckets. He had to go see _Snape _for help? Snake… snape... only one letter difference. What a surprise. What would Snape do? Kill him, probably. With that poison he had shown them. Or maybe poison him with his own subpar potion... poison and potion only had one letter difference too, if you took out the T and replaced it with an S one space to the right... snake poison snape potion. Dumb door. Dumb sumb gumb lumb...

Suddenly, Danny stopped dead.

_Peter was in the hallway._

And he was _walking_.

"Impossible!" shouted Danny, his voice echoing around the hallway far too loudly.

"Danny, it's m-" began Peter.

But the latest impossibility had pushed Danny over the edge. He gave a fearsome roar and ran at Peter, shouting something about demons.

---

Peter watched in horror as Danny ran screaming towards him. What was going on? He wasn't a demon! He found himself backing into a corner. "Danny," he whispered as his once-friend stared at him with crazed eyes, "Please..." It was no use. The newly healed Peter was, a few minutes later, lying dead on the cold stone floor.

***

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's waist, whispering assurances, keeping her focused. He could tell by the way her beautiful features were contorted with pain that it was necessary for them to hunt. As soon as possible.

"We must find Alice first," Edward murmured, striding into the grand hall. "Then we will leave. Don't worry, love, the forest is only a step away."

***

Blake wandered through the hallways, searching for any one of his classmates, silently cursing such confusing passages. He had left the dungeon a half hour ago, escaping the frantic discussion of Harry's murder, an unsettling subject. Having yet to clean off his blood ridden knife, Blake dreaded any pointed questions, frightened by the gruesome evidence that lay in his very bag.

He dragged his feet against the tiled floor, rounding a sharp corner, and sighed in sheer aggravation.

Blake was back at the dungeon.

But not alone.

"Hey… Danny, right?" He asked cheerfully, noticing a student standing by the metal doors, features wild. "Do you know where I can find the main hall?"

---

Danny whirled at the sound of a voice. Peter was back! Wait, no, he had made himself a clone! That was it!

Danny ran at what he believed to be the re-incarnation of Peter. A second later he had kicked the intruder's feet out from under him. His head hit the wall with a crunch.

He had to get out of here before Peter came back again!

Laughing madly, Danny ran down the hallway.

***

Thirrin watched the door with so much attention she was almost not blinking. He would be here any second...

Even though she was so prepared, her mouth still fell open a bit as Edward strode into the room. He was almost _too_ handsome.

Re-focusing her brain, she waved insanely and called his name. He would not escape!

***

Lirael and Sam stood by the cliff, watching the ocean. There was a plume of smoke in the distance, the sea was flat and calm, and the rising sun cast pink light over the whole scene. It was, in all, a very pretty place to be.

"What a pretty place to be," said Lirael.

"Um... yeah," said Sam, looking nervous. He had wanted to tell Lirael his feelings for her for ages, but now was the first time he seemed to be working up the confidence. Who cared that she was his aunt? They only had a two years difference between their ages, anyways.

"Lirael, I..." he began, wondering how to tell her. Then he decided, quite foolishly, that the best way would be to simply kiss her.

So he did.

Lirael, shocked, took a step back- as people are prone to do when they are shocked.

Unfortunately, this particular step back brought her over the edge of the cliff.

"Oops," said Sam, looking down at Lirael's horribly mangled body. How would he tell Sabriel?

Fortunately, he was spared the necessity of thinking up an excuse for Lirael's death- for at that moment the piece of the cliff he was standing on broke off, and a moment later he joined Lirael at the bottom of the cliff.

Thus ending the momentary confusion the readers of the tale experienced.

Back to the main plot…

***

"Edward, Edward, Edward!"

Edward turned around, hesitating, aware that the persistent voice did not belong to his sister. He was growing more and more concerned for Bella, her vice grip digging deeper into his palm, causing him to feel utterly helpless. She needed to hunt, with or without Alice.

"One moment, love." Edward pressed his lips to Bella's forehead, murmuring assurances, striding over to Thirrin's table. "I'll be right back."

Moving to face the red headed girl, Edward gave an aggravated sigh, wanting nothing more then to be at Bella's side.

"Hello, Thirrin." Edward managed to construct a calm expression, smiling at her, intending to leave as soon as he could. "How may I help you?"

Thirrin grinned a huge grin. This was working!

"Hey, Edward," she said slowly in her most flirtatious voice. "Would you like a refreshing glass of pumpkin juice? You look mighty thirsty..." She paused to bat her eyelashes fiercely.

She couldn't help grinning again. One sip, and he would be hers. The tiny empty vile felt like a hundred pounds in her pocket.

***

Mia saw the hem of a robe flick up the stairs. She glanced at the Great Hall, then the winding staircase. Who would skip the feast in favour of exploring the tower?

Suddenly not hungry, Mia crept up the stairs. Whoever was ahead of her was making no attempt at being quiet. In fact... were those _sobs_ she heard echoing down the passage?

After several long minutes of climbing, a blast of warm air announced that the top door had been opened. Mia picked up her pace, gasping slightly from exertion.

She opened the door and looked around the spur. The view was beautiful- but the tower was empty.

---

Violet felt the rushing wind blow her hair as she fell from the tallest tower, and laughed aloud. Free! From Olaf, Thirrin, Magic… and life.

Suddenly, she saw something small and white fall past her. Was that the Sugar Bowl? How had _that_ gotten here? It was the solution to all their problems, according to Kit.

Violet reached for the bowl, hoping to open it before she reached the ground. But too late- with a horrifying _crunch_, Violet ploughed into the stone pathway, her grasping fingers an inch away from the sugar bowl she and her siblings had sought for thirteen long, dreary books.


	22. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 5

Mia shrugged, decided the figure was just a ghost, and was on the point of entering the stairwell again when she heard a _thud_ drift up from the foot of the tower. Suddenly feeling sick, she hurried to the edge and looked down. Surely the student hadn't _fallen_?

The Hogwarts clock struck noon as she leaned over the stone tower-wall. The loud, tolling bells were a stone's throw away from Mia's ears when this happened.

So naturally, the colours that emerged from her synthesia were bright and opaque.

Mia screamed and tried to get away from the noise. This was even worse than when her brother had set all the alarms to go off at once! This was more deafening than the loudest rock band! This was-

But before she could think of something else to compare the experience to, Mia, in her blind panic, fell off the tower a bare minute after Violet had.

Needless to say, the colours were silenced for good a few seconds later.

Meanwhile, the sugar bowl rolled slowly towards the lake, falling in with a soft "plop." The lid, jolted by the impact, fell off.

Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a single scrap of paper float out and flutter in the breeze as if to try and escape the frigid water that soaked it through a few seconds later, destroying the fibres of the paper and making the four words scrawled upon it illegible.

But nobody _was _watching. And so a piece of valuable information was lost forever.

For written on the paper had been the words: "I _invented_ The Game."

***

Thirrin's grin slowly faded as Edward appeared not to want to drink. Well, if this was how it was going to be...

"Huh," she said, adding a suspicious tone to her voice. "Well, I should have guessed. You don't want to drink." She looked him straight in the eye. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you drink _anything_." Her eyes narrowed at the sudden realization: what she said was _true_. Strange...

***

He had to get away! Before Peter returned!

Danny laughed again, his eyes completely unfocused. Get away way, a way to get away... a-

Hey! Was that a car?

"I t'ought I saw a pussy cat!" chirped Danny. Wait, not cat. _Car._ But only one letter difference, so who cared?

It was! It was!

"Ohh, I _did_ see a pussy cat!" continued Danny.

Grinning insanely, Danny jumped into the driver's seat of the blue Ford Angela and revved the engine. Strange, the car seemed to be driving itself... oh well. Well hell well down well...

The car lurched forward, only half-controlled by Danny.

He was headed towards something shiny... Danny squinted. What was it? Silver! He was rich!

Danny felt something thump beneath his wheels as he reached the edge of the silver stretch of land, but paid it- and the accompanying spurt of blood that splashed the windshield- no heed.

And so it was that Danny plunged into the lake, collided with the secret store of Time Turners Dumbledore kept at the bottom, and was brought back to a specific time and place.

---

Rose glanced around uneasily in time to see a large metal contraption- there was no other word for it- _rip_ its way out of the blue sky. Rose stared, mouth dropped open in horrified surprise, as the carriage-like object (a blue Ford Angela, as it so happens) fell towards the ship, bringing with it torrents of brackish water. She caught a glimpse of the driver- a sandy-haired boy with a maniac expression marring his otherwise handsome face- before her eyes flicked down to where the object would inevitable hit- the pile of explosives amassed by the dock workers. "No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "No!"

An inexplicable sense of déjà-vu hit her right before the flames did.

***

"Thirrin," Edward muttered, glancing over at Bella's rigid posture. "I really must be going. But if a sip of pumpkin juice will make it up to you, then I'm sure it's the least I can do."

Giving the red headed girl a warm smile, he reached for the shiny goblet, bringing it to his lips. The golden tint sparkled, reminding him of Bella's eyes, causing the need to be at her side to much more painful. Edward tilted his head back, swallowing the icy liquid... and gasped.

Thirrin watched with glee as Edward raised the cup to his lips. So close...

Suddenly, something went wrong.

He fell slowly to the floor, the thud echoing around the room.

Had 'falling for her' been taken literally? Weird.

Almost in a trance, she reached her hand into her pocket to fish out the empty vile. Holding it up to the light, she read the label on the bottom.

"Poison - instant death"

Oops.

***

Meena entered the school. All was quiet. There were a few angry voices coming from the Great Hall- but that was it. Where _was_ everyone?

Not that Meena minded being alone- this was the perfect chance to destroy all evidence of the failed Wingardium Leviosa spell.

She began climbing the stairs, then stopped.

Why was she bothering to _walk_ up the stairs?

A blink of an eye later, Meena had appeared at the top of the highest tower. Far above her was the classroom, still suspended upside down.

She felt her wand vibrate in her pocket. Scowling with disgust, she threw it over the side of the tower. Then she rubbed her hands together and looked up at the classroom. Come to think of it, she had no idea what to do. She had seldom _intentionally_ used her Power.

Meena reached out with her subconscious and probed at her spell. It felt odd. Probably result of having used a wand. She found a loose end and unravelled the magic keeping the classroom in place. It abruptly fell towards the castle.

Her eyes flying open as the potential danger neared her, Meena struck out with her Power once again, instantly reducing what had been part of Hogwarts to a cloud of dust.

***

Dumbledore slowly made his way through the book. So... boring... He yawned widely. Suddenly, the book dropped from his hands, and he began to giggle. Of course! Of course! Truly, he had never seen the world correctly before that moment. Now, it was all perfectly clear. He would be a hero unto the world, a champion for the people. He would be remembered by generation after generation.

_He would give people beards._

Still giggling madly, he made his way out of the owlery.

---

Ron wandered the hallways, searching with growing desperation for the Headmaster.

Every minute wasted was another minute whoever murdered Harry had a chance to cover their tracks.

Finally, he saw Dumbledore emerge from the owlery stairwell.

"Professor! I-"

Ron broke off as, too late, he saw the maniacal gleam in Dumbledore's eye.

***

Bella's eyes darted around the large hall, tracking the students' movements. She could hear their heart beats, pulses of warm liquid, sending wild fantasies into her mind. Thoughts of their luscious, crimson blood gushed across her vision, causing the white flames to grow higher. The burning sensation in her throat was extremely painful, tempting her so much more... but she had to trust Edward.

Edward knew what to do.

Edward _always_ knew what to do.

Scanning the perimeter, Bella spotted him at one of the wooden tables, drinking from a detailed goblet. Her perfect forehead became creased with confusion, wondering why he'd be taking a sip. Surely the cup couldn't have contained blood...

Suddenly Bella froze, a chill sweeping over her body, creeping up from her core.

Something was wrong.

"Edward-" Bella choked out, instantly at his side, limp body in her arms. She shook her head, eliminating her instincts, a dark haze tugging at her mind.

He couldn't be dead.

It was impossible.

He was _immortal_.

She turned to Thirrin.

"You." Bella growled, feeling a searing rage come from within her, grief turned into fury. Her hands clenched into tight balls, upper lip curling back over barred teeth, a thunderous snarl ripping from her throat. "You killed him!"

***

Dumbledore smiled at the poor boy. He had yet to be enlightened. He was about to remedy that situation.

"Lao-Tzeu l'a dit: "Il faut trouver la voie!" Moi, je l'ai trouvée. Il faut donc que vous la trouviez aussi… je vais d'abord vous donner un barbe. Ensuite vous connaîtrez la vérité!"

"What?" Ron asked, extremely confused.

"Baardius Nieuwe" Dumbledore stated clearly, pointing his wand at Mr. Weasley's face.

In a moment, a respectably-sized beard grew off the boy's face. That was better.

***

Thirrin stared blankly at Edward's girlfriend. Well, actually, ex-girlfriend, from the looks of things. She tried to make a noise, to explain what had happened, and that it wasn't her fault, but her brain wasn't working right. It just kept replaying the horrible scene over, and over, and over...

***

Nancy blinked in confusion. The dark slowly faded away, and shapes began to re-focus. What just happened? She made a list in her head.

_OK, I'm lying on the ground._

_I can see - sort of._

_I have a headache._

She paused, listening.

_I don't know if I can hear. It's too quiet._

She twitched her arms, legs, fingers, and toes and assessed the damage.

_I don't think anything's broken._

_But my arm hurts._

_It really hurts._

Nancy looked down suddenly, wondering why. She still hadn't figured out what was actually going on.

Her arm... was bleeding?

Well that didn't make any sense.

She quickly tried to recall what had just happened. Of course... that maniac... with the car... Why, he had run her over! The nerve... She would _never _manage to get these bloodstains out of her clothes!

Well she would have to get her arm looked after. One of the teachers would help. Wait... This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to the hottie Dumble-dude or whatever!

She slowly got to her feet and carefully made her way to the castle, not really feeling the pain thanks to her new-found distraction. If this worked out, she would have the man of her dreams!

***

Ron felt something heavy and fluffy appear on his face. How odd. He looked at Dumbledore, confused, but he was smiling. "How does this help us find out who killed Harry?" he asked.

---

Dumbledore smiled down at the young boy. So naive, worried about trivial things. Hopefully, the beard would soon change that. His work finished, Dumbledore continued walking down the hallway, searching for more people to save.

---

Ron furrowed his brow. "What the bloody hell was _that_ all about?" he thought to himself. Catching his reflection in a suit of armour, he saw that the fuzzy thing was a huge beard.

He stared at it for a while, then, sighing, went off in search of a razor.

***


	23. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 6

Bella felt her teeth clench together, glaring at the red headed girl in sheer fury. Rage boosted her senses, channelling focused thoughts, causing her to hiss in anger. She wanted nothing more than to show Thirrin the gravity of what she'd done.

"You killed him," Bella repeated, venom flowing through her icy tone. Taking a step closer, she lunged, eyes narrowed. "And now you're going to die."

In one swift motion, Bella reached for Thirrin's throat, wrapping her pointed fingers around her neck. Holding the girl, she began to squeeze.

---

Thirrin stared at the girl. _No_. Edward wasn't _dead_. He _couldn't_ be. Not possible.

The final moments of the life of the man of her dreams played before her eyes again and again...

She barely noticed when Edward's girlfriend lunged at her, and the darkness came. She let it consume her willingly.

***

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then decided to head for the great hall. It was likely that someone- someone to save- would be there. Chuckling madly, he turned a nearby suit of armour into an ostrich, hopped on its back, and rode it down the stairs. That was better. He let out a loud "Whoop!" as he crashed dramatically through the doors into the great hall.

Silence.

No one was there, except for the armour-clad dead stranger still lying on the floor. Had no one bothered to pick up the corpse? Dumbledore shrugged. A dead person was better than no person at all, and the stranger deserved to be buried with some dignity.

"Baardius Nieuwe," he stated, then giggled as a wonderful white beard sprang from the stranger's face.

***

Meena sighed and hung over the edge of the tower. What should she do now? It was lunchtime, but she wasn't hungry- even though she hadn't eaten breakfast and had had barely anything for dinner last night.

Maybe it was an effect of the Power, she mused to herself as she vaulted the side of the tower and transformed herself into a raven.

She had just remembered that she had Divination next- and what better way to chose what to do with the Power next than to know what her future had in store for her?

***

Professor Trelawney peered over her huge wire glasses to look closely at the crystal ball in front of her nose. She had just had a Feeling that told her to prepare herself with knowledge of her immediate future, and she always paid attention to these Feelings. They had always helped her.

Dark shapes swirled around in the misty ball. It took an immense amount of concentration to actually see the future, and sometimes even she had 'off days', when she couldn't see anything other then shadowed forms. But today she was feeling extra sharp and was able to see quite clearly.

The scene was in her 'office'. Trelawney's heart beat a little faster as she sensed danger in this vision, but she kept focused. She had to see.

The door opened. It was that girl… Minnie, or something like that. She strode into the room. The Trelawney in the vision looked up.

"I want to see my future," Minnie said slowly. She looked uneasy, but determined.

The little Trelawney motioned for her to sit down on a little pouf while she placed the shimmering ball in front of her.

A sudden noise from the outside world startled the real Trelawney. The vision vanished, and the ball returned to its original misty state.

Minnie was here, at the door.

---

"I'd like to see my future," said Meena when the Professor showed no signs of inviting her in. She wasn't completely sure that this would work. Future-telling wasn't included in her Power...

---

Trelawney nodded once, and gestured to the floor littered with coloured poufs. She carefully brought over her crystal ball and set it down on a little table.

"So, Minnie..." she started mysteriously.

"Meena," the girl said sharply, cutting her off.

"Yes yes, of course..." Trelawney was annoyed now. Her professional appearance had been blown. She waved her hands wildly around the ball, hoping to look like she knew what she was doing.

"Now you must concentrate with me." This wasn't exactly true, but this way if she failed, she could blame it on Meena. She wasn't very good at predicting the futures of others, only herself.

Trelawney put her nose right up to the glass, made some more swirling motions with her hands, then leaned back, and then finally came to a stop looking at it at almost eye-level. It was not the most comfortable position, being all hunched over, but she knew it looked magnificent and added to the general atmosphere of fortune-telling.

The ball clouded over, and shadowy shapes began to form. The picture focused quickly, a little faster then usual, and it was obvious what, or rather who, this vision was about.

"I see a man..." she drawled in a mystical voice. She leaned forward a little, the better to see him. His face came into detail, and caught her off guard. The picture slipped a bit, but she caught it just in time. My, he was... handsome! But she pushed these feelings aside and focused on seeing ahead. The name Steven suddenly popped into her mind.

"He... er, is quite attractive, actually." Trelawney said awkwardly. "And... yes... his name is... Steven... I sense a rather, how should I put this, _romantic_ relationship between you two..." She trailed off to gauge Meena's expression, and to see if she was impressed. She wouldn't be the first to laugh out loud, of course.

---

Meena froze. She felt cold all of a sudden.

"Yes, dear?" asked the teacher. "Is something the matter?"

Meena turned bright red and looked away with embarrassment. How had the teacher known? That _she_ had been the one to start up a relationship, to _kiss_ Steven- and it wasn't until _after_ that that he had raped her.

But then a jet of pure rage filled her. No. That reaction of mortification was what the _old_ Meena would have felt. The defenceless girl who had been abused several months ago was not the same person who sat here now.

She heard the teacher cough softly. Meena whirled around, her hands clenched into tight fists.

"Steven... is... _not_... my... future!" she roared, striking out at Trelawney. The Power was back, rushing through her and dispelling all fear and embarrassment. The Professor fell to the floor and looked back at her with wide, terrified eyes.

Meena shot another deluge of Power at her, propelling it with all the hatred she felt towards Steven.

---

Trelawney was very unprepared when Meena suddenly lashed out, pushing her down to the floor. Magic surged all around her, and started to close in... Trelawney could feel it radiating from the girl. The magic suddenly struck the fortune-teller, and she fell limp before she could carry out a final "my dear."

***

Nancy knew, when she saw someone topped with white in the distance, that she had to go no further to reach her ultimate goal.

"Dumb... Dingle… Dorie… er… headmaster!" she called out, forgetting his name, and the pain in her arm, at the sight of his absolute perfection. "Um, you see, I had a little accident..." She held out her bleeding arm.

---

Dumbledore smiled, a maniacal gleam in his eye. He would do better than just heal her arm. He would ensure that she had a decent future, full of respect and wisdom. He would show her how to truly live.

"Baardius Nieuwe," He smiled proudly at his creation. Oddly, this beard was a strange shade of olive. Ah well. It was still beautiful.

---

Nancy stared at the teacher in confusion. What had that spell done?

A slow tickling sensation spread across her chin. She ran to the lake to inspect her face.

She had a beard.

A beard.

A _beard._

An _olive green_ beard.

And it totally clashed with her new outfit.

A strangled screech of rage burst through her lips. The pain in her arm vanished, momentarily forgotten, and she ran for the one who had cursed her with this ugliness. He would die now.

Her fingers closed around his throat, and fuelled by the small amount of magic she possessed, she squeezed with nearly super-human strength.

Because no one gave _Nancy Drew_ a beard and lived to tell the tale.

***

Meena slowly backed away from Trelawney's body. Her ears were ringing, and the sudden silence wrapped around her, stifling all thoughts but one.

_She had killed someone._

More importantly, she had killed someone _innocent. _Who had done nothing to her but tell Meena what she had believed to be her future.

But when the initial shock drained away, it gave way to an unexpected emotion...

_Pleasure. _

The adrenaline, the surge of magic... it had been... interesting.

And now?

Meena sent out her Power to prod at Trelawney's body. It seemed completely lifeless. But... was it really?

Meena frowned and closed her eyes. She definitely felt something there... and suddenly, there it was. The Professor's soul. It wanted to... "go on..." But something was holding it back.

Another shift in perspective. The magic! Professor Trelawney's magic lay wrapped around the soul in a complex web. It held the soul in place- for the moment, at least.

That must be what gave Wizards- but not the non-magical community- the ability to remain as ghosts. The magic kept some of their essence behind!

And speaking of the magic of a dead soul...

Meena got down on her knees and examined the body closer, remembering her failed attempt to steal Nancy's power.

Would an attempt on a dead person be more successful?

Slowly, carefully, she placed her palms on the teacher's cold forehead. There was the magic... tantalizingly close.

Meena sent some Power into Trelawney. It spread rapidly, trying to take control of the abandoned body, but a thought later it had focused itself, concentrating on one specific point in the magic web.

Meena gave the magic an experimental jerk. A tremor passed through, but both soul and magic remained intact.

It was _there_! So close! She wanted this more than _anything._ The Power was all that she cared about! Surely there must be some way to separate soul from magic?

Meena poured more Power into the single spot on the magic's surface and pulled again. Still nothing.

She pulled out of the Professor's body and sat back, interlocking her fingers and looking at the teacher. Apparently, this was something that would take a huge amount of Power... an amount that no Wizard could ever hope to attain. That would explain why nobody had ever stolen magic before.

Meena felt cold anger knot itself into her stomach. Trelawney was _weak!_ She had killed the teacher in blind fury, without a second thought! She should be able to take the magic with ridiculous ease!

With these thoughts spurring her on, Meena raised her hands and started to pull on her own magic- as much as she could hold. More than she had needed to kill Trelawney, but not as much as had been taken out of her to shatter the stone.

It flooded into her with unnatural speed. She could feel it pushing against the contours of her physical body, wanting _out_. Wanting to burst forth and destroy everything in its path. It was almost too much. But still she brought in more. She would not be defied!

Meena felt herself start to change- there was no more room in her original form for the power. And, in absence of an outlet such as the stone, it was _stretching_ her body out of shape. She was _growing,_ the wooden boards creaking beneath her. The pain was awful, but she wanted more of it.

"Stop," Meena thought to herself. "You don't have the capabilities yet. After you steal enough magic, _then_ you will be able to contain it all."

The single step that would bring her back to Trelawney's side seemed like too much. She was sickeningly bloated, unable to move.

Meena gritted her teeth and stretched out her hand. Her reach brought her a few inches from Trelawney. Before her hazed thoughts could even form themselves to register the problem, her arm had, with a ripple and some squelching, become longer...

With a final, heaving effort... contact was made. Meena held back the magic for the second it took to find her target. The effort was terrible.

Then she let it all go.

Paralyzing fear- she had taken far too much! The Professor's magic was ripped away from the soul in an instant- destroying all chance of Trelawney coming back as a ghost- and was flooded and absorbed by Meena's Power. But she couldn't stop it- any of it. She would be taken over, like the Professor's magic, by her own Power.

"NO!" she shouted, snapping control over the Power.

Her voice, magnified grotesquely by the magic that filled her, echoed endlessly, momentarily binding all who heard it. But the hold broke, and Meena fell back against the wall while the Power slowly ebbed back into its owner.

And there was the prize- the fruits of her struggle. Trelawney's magic had joined her own. It wasn't a huge amount- but considerable nevertheless. Especially when she began to think of the huge amount of Wizards in the world... and the endless possibilities of what she could do with the magic of those she would slay.

***

Dumbledore watched as the girl's face twisted with rage. Why was she upset? Did a wasp sting her toe? She couldn't possibly be upset about the beard. It was a masterpiece.

He did not get the chance to ask. Before he could say a single word, the girl, with a fierce cry, grabbed him around the throat. And squeezed, tighter and tighter. Dumbledore struggled to pull her off of him, but her hold was almost super-human.

That girl seriously had issues.

But now, as Dumbledore was in his final moments, his madness lifted, and he saw clearly for what felt like the first time. What he saw amazed him.

The girl, even distorted with blind fury, was beautiful.

Perhaps it was the beard that finally helped him to see that. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed it before. How could he have ever looked at a _man_ and thought that that was beauty? It wasn't even close to the sparkling in this girl's eye, the sheen of her soft hair, and the impeccable sense of fashion she so clearly showed. This, truly, was beauty.

At long last, the girl, "Miss Drew" he believed her name was. What a beautiful name. So musical..., let go. Dumbledore knew that it was too late for him, but he drew in one ragged breath.

"I...I love you...." He whispered hoarsely, before everything faded to purple.

A rather odd shade of purple, really. Sort of a magenta colour. What was this?

Slowly, the purple faded. Was he in Heaven? But no. Of course not. Gradually, strange figures that had been hidden in the shadows came to light. They looked almost like...

"Lavender olives?" Dumbledore asked, confused. Who on Earth would paint an olive lavender? But there they were. Mountains, valleys, and seas of the strange fruit spread as far as the eye could see. Dumbledore resisted the urge to giggle. His temporary fit of sanity was over. How would an olive look with a beard?

A moment later, the sea shifted, and the man once known as Dumbledore was no more.

***


	24. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 7

Bella felt the red headed girl go limp, utterly motionless, and released her grip. A flash of satisfaction worked its way into her emotions, seeing Thirrin on the ground, Edward avenged. That would show the girl how it felt to lose someone you loved-

Edward.

"Edward-" Bella choked out, mind suddenly snapping to his attention. Now that her rage had passed, she was left with an overpowering emptiness, seeing Edward's corpse on the ground. It threatened to tear her soul apart.

Sinking to her knees, she wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him close. She gently pressed her lips to his bronze hair, silently crying.

"I'll always love you," Bella murmured, kissing his pale forehead, breath catching. "You'll always hold my heart."

She inhaled his scent, willing her memories to hold strong... and froze. A sharp aroma penetrated her thoughts, causing her veins to fill with ice.

Blood.

Human blood.

Bella licked her lips, slowly turning her head to the side. She could instantly detect the warm liquid, so very sweet, seeping from her victim's neck. The crimson red pooled on the floor, tinting the white tiles, such an irresistible sight.

"No," Bella managed, fighting to resist her burning temptation. But it was no use. She was already moving towards Thirrin's lifeless body.

In one sharp movement, she sank her teeth into the girl's throat, abandoning herself to her instincts.

***

The night air outside the prison was cold and dry- but that did not stop the single guard from slipping outside at exactly ten past ten and begin fumbling with his cigarette lighter, trying to light his fat brown cigar before the cold numbed his hands.

Summer nights were probably when the security at the small prison were the most lax. Something about the dry air got to the prisoners and sapped their hope. The most excitement the warden had gotten so far this season was one of the prisoners nearly getting his door open after stopping the lock from clicking shut with a piece of fabric.

The warden hadn't even had to do anything- all the automatic security features had worked flawlessly, and before he had even arrived at the scene, the prisoner had retreated from the strategically placed electric shocks, rubbing furiously at the burns that had appeared in the most painful location.

Suddenly, a sound like a whip crack. The guard was shocked out of his reminiscing and jumped back, dropping his cigar.

He puffed hugely, trying to catch his breath.

"Who's theer?" he called. The blank night gave no reply.

"Tree branch," he grunted, looking down at the forlorn cigar- now useless- soaking up bracken water at his feet.

The warden sighed and took out another cigar, feeling the lack of weight in the box bump against his leg. Empty. He felt a momentary pang of guilt as he began deducting the price of the expensive Mexican cigars from his wages and trying to figure out whether he'd have enough money left for food. Or, at least, enough to prevent his wife from looking at him with those sad, sad eyes…

He pushed the thought aside and began clicking the lighter again. The wan sparks did nothing to cheer up the asphalt grounds.

Finally, a flame. Hands shaking- only partly from the cold- he stuck the cigar between his teeth and leaned towards the lighter.

A tremendous crash. The guard jumped again and dropped his second cigar.

"Bloody hell," he swore crossly. He shut the lighter and fumbled around in his pocket until he found some nicotine gum. Maybe he _would_ quit.

Suddenly, his pocket began smoking.

"I _closed_ the lighter," he thought, trying to shrug off the coat.

He couldn't. The coat was too tight.

A flame appeared at his side. The coat had caught fire.

He tugged at the zipper, but it was stuck.

Beginning to worry, the warden ran to the door of the prison, knowing a fire extinguisher was barely half a foot away. The door was locked- but he hadn't locked it on his way out.

His side was beginning to feel warm. He couldn't help himself from looking, although he regretted it- the insulating down flared, quickly and hotly, while the cheap rubber smoked and fizzled.

The warden ran towards the road. There was a fire station a block away- he could make it.

Suddenly, the asphalt around him became soft and malleable. With a sharp cry, he found himself sunk up to his knees in black tar that had become mysteriously hard again… and the flames grew, eagerly licking at his face and hands…

The warden's last thought was that the coat had been too loose a few short hours ago.

And in the morning, the confused police would find a charred skeleton stuck up to his waist in asphalt that had not been soft since it had been poured into the pavement twenty years ago.

***

Minou trotted again through the forest. This time, his goal was to arrive at Hogwarts from the other side, where the door was. Much easier than going through a wall. However, the way that the castle was built meant that he had to travel around the long way 'round. He knew he _could_ just Apparate, but walking as a dog felt soothing. For a moment, he let all of his evil thoughts seep out of him. He was one with nature.

That soon ended. The snap of a twig from behind Minou caused him to jump and turn. Behind him was a very strange-looking creature. It was a bright shade of yellow, with a lightning-shaped tail, and it looked a bit like a mouse. What the-

"Pika-CHU!" The creature stated.

As it did so, a ball of what seemed like electricity flew at Minou. He easily deflected it. Was the creature attacking him?

"Pika-CHU!" Another ball of electricity flew at him. Again, he deflected it.

"Pika-CHU! Pika-CHU! Pika-CHU!"

Alright, he was getting annoyed now.

"Pika-"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort screamed in irritation, and the creature fell over with Xs on its eyes. It was dead.

"Serves it right" Voldemort muttered, before returning to his journey.

***

Nancy's breath caught in her throat. _What _had he just said? She let go of her iron-like grasp just a second too late. Dumbledore collapsed to the ground, dead.

He... he loved her?

She suddenly burst into tears. She had killed him, and he had loved her. She had destroyed her only chance of ever being truly happy. She reached up to wipe away the tears. Her hand met something soft and hairy.

Her beard.

Right. _That_ was why she had killed him. Nancy dissolved into loud sobs, her tears soaking her new facial hair.

***

Meena strode down the prison's silent hallways, smiling to herself as she remembered the warden's death.

True, she had failed to Apparate silently, but that had been for no reason other than the fact that she had been distracted by the fact that the warden had some magic of his own.

The spark was small, but the potential was still there. So she had decided to test another one of her theories- that a person's magic power grew with adrenaline, as hers had whilst killing Trelawney.

That had been something she had noticed herself. Magic she cast in anger or fear was, although less controlled, more powerful.

She had to admit to herself, though, that her attack hadn't been particularly creative. She would have to work on more ways to torture her victims before their death. Maybe pain would make the magic react similarly…

Other than that, the transfer had gone perfectly. She had used the exact amount of Power needed to drain the man, and was feeling both more happy and more powerful. It was like a drug high.

Meena stopped walking. She was at the main office.

Although she was positive that she could have used her Power to find Steven, she wanted to save her energy. So she found him the old-fashioned way- by looking through the files.

The prison was small, and she soon found the file folder with Steven's name stamped on it. Meena felt some of the old fear worm its way into her mind, but savagely pushed it aside. She was here to get _rid_ of the fear.

With a decisive _snap_, she slammed the folder onto the warden's desk and opened it.

Name… Steven Clayton. Age… mid-forties.

The information was all there- Steven's life picked apart and condensed into meaningless numbers and dates.

Then- there is was.

Crime … rape of 17-year-old Meena Miller.

One line of type. That was what the officials had turned her story into. Nothing about the weeks of terror and self-loathing she had felt. Nothing about her dropping out of the swim team. Nothing about her losing all her friends. She was just another fact on the list.

Wrenching her eyes away from the vital information, Meena turned to the part that detailed his prison stay. The only information she needed was the room number.

_Room A13._

Faster than thought, the file was closed and returned to its place. Suddenly in a hurry, Meena ran down the hallways, not bothering to use magic of any sort to disguise herself. Some of the sleeping prisoners woke and stared blearily out at her, wondering what was going on.

But room A13 remained silent- Steven had not woken up.

Anger flared inside Meena. She did not want to kill a sleeping man. She wanted him to _look_ at her. See what he had turned her into. Feel her vengeance.

Without taking her eyes off of her enemy, Meena slipped through the impossibly close-together bars.

Steven woke. But in the dark, he could make out nothing more than a shadowy figure.

Then the lights snapped on, harsh and electric.

Meena saw Steven look at her. Saw his eyes widen. He felt surprise- but not fear.

"Do you remember me?" snarled Meena. Loathing of the highest class filled her.

Steven smiled patronizingly at her.

"How did you get in here?" he asked calmly. He hadn't changed in the slightest. He felt no remorse.

Meena stopped for a second, unsure of what to do next. A part of her had expected him to attack her without a second thought. Or scream in terror. But he was doing neither; from his attitude, they might have met in a park.

"Do you regret what you did to me?" asked Meena softly. A final chance for him to redeem himself.

"No, not particularly," said Steven. "Although what I _do_ regret…"

Meena narrowed her eyes, wondering what he would say.

"…is letting you believe that it isn't- wasn't- your fault."

Meena took three steps forward and filled herself with the Power. Not much- just enough to give her the strength required to lift Steven with one hand and pin him against the wall.

_Now_ he felt fear.

"My fault?" she cried. "_My_ fault? Do you have any idea- _any_ idea at all-"

Words weren't enough. No barbed stings she could throw would show him his wrong. Simply killing him would not give her satisfaction either.

So she gathered her magic and called back all her worst memories of how- _what_- she had felt because of him. And she pounded them into Steven, one after another.

His eyes rolled back in his head as he was forced to experience what Meena had. The rape itself. The disgust she had felt. The self-loathing. The long nights and the long days. Being called a freak, a loner.

"_Now_ do you regret it?" she screamed at him.

"Yes! Yes! Let me go!" shouted Steven, squirming in her iron grip.

"Too late," growled Meena.

A few minutes later, she was back on her way to Hogwarts. The entire prison was reduced to charred rubble, and Steven's broken body hung from a nearby tree, thick branches protruding from his chest and eyes, pinning him in place.

It could be considered justice.

***


	25. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 8

More.

She needed more.

Bella shook her head in a quick motion, sending droplets of blood into the air. Her eyes were crazed, mind in a wild frenzy, currents of electricity running through her thoughts. She clutched Thirrin's limp body in her arms, victim's throat torn open.

Ravenous, Bella sprung to her feet, letting the lifeless corpse tumble to the tiles floor. The girl no longer caused her to writhe. She served no use.

Bella darted towards the front doors, leaving Edward behind. She could hear the heartbeats of her fellow students, warm, crimson liquid pulsing through their veins. It was all so tempting... She desired nothing more than to bring those mouth-watering rhythms to an unexpected halt.

Licking her lips, she made her way to the school's dungeons, ready to attack her newest target.

---

Snape shut the large metal doors, wincing as they closed with a loud crack. The school appeared to have turned unusually silent, causing an eerie, unsettling feeling. The students should have been on their way to their second period classes.

Muttering under his breath, Snape bent down, eyeing the tiled floor with curiosity. A single sheet a paper lay dancing in the wind, torn at the edges, as if forcefully ripped from a notebook. Nothing seemed to be written on the crumpled page.

He pulled out his wand. "I, Professor Snape, demand that you reveal your secrets."

Rounding the corner, Bella pressed herself up against the brick wall, approaching her prey. She listened to his pulse, sweet blood flowing in a constant motion. If there had ever been anything more pure than a human's blood, she couldn't remember.

She took a few steps towards the professor, narrowing her eyes as he pulled out his wand. He appeared to be speaking to a sheet of paper.

But that was not important.

Lowering herself into a crouch, Bella bared her teeth, ready to pounce.

One.

Two.

Three.

She dove for his throat.

***

Meena silently appeared in the middle of the Great Hall. The bindings stopping people from apparating and disapparating had broken with Dumbledore's death- not that they would have stopped Meena from getting anywhere if she put her mind to it, of course.

She looked around, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. The Great Hall was deserted. The body of one of her freakishly beautiful classmates lay on the flagstone floor. Beside him lay the mangled corpse of the red-head.

"What on Earth?" muttered Meena, approaching them warily.

The red-head, of course, had no magic. But the beautiful one did. A small amount- no greater than that of the guard.

Nevertheless, Meena grabbed him and drew it greedily, letting the corpse fall back onto the ground only when she was positive there was none left. She sat back to let the effects of another shot of magic take their hold, swirling around her like the last dregs of wine before being absorbed by the Power.

Shuddering with pleasure, she got back up and looked around the Hall again. Surely everyone couldn't have just _left_?

The well-being of her classmates concerned her no more than the circumstances under which the two students had met their fate. But their magic- and, specifically, where it ended up- was a whole different story.

Since she didn't know what she was looking for, Meena could not just cast a tracking spell. But she _could_ stand in the middle of the Hall and magically enhance her hearing so that the slightest rustle in the silent castle would reach her.

So Meena did- and was rewarded for her efforts.

There was a commotion in the dungeon. Two or more people.

"Excellent," she thought to herself, stalking down the hallway. Her Power eddied around her in an almost tangible cloud as she prepared herself for whatever it was she would find.

Meena had had no idea what to expect, but when she opened the door of the potions classroom to see what had caused the fuss, the scene was odd to say the least.

Another of the classmates- Bella- had the potions teacher in an iron grip. She looked almost as if about to embrace him- except for the fact that her expression was more like a starved man about to rip into a steak than a lover about to kiss the object of her fancy in an abandoned classroom.

"The hell?" said Meena.

---

Bella savoured the professor's blood, drinking it with ease, feeling the warm liquid fill her mouth. She sighed as it rushed through her body, sparks illuminating her mind. Her thoughts were filled with pure contentment.

A step.

She froze, senses icing over with hostility. There was someone else in the hallway, only a few feet away, watching as she murdered one of the teachers.

Whipping her head around, Bella noticed one of her classmates, the girl who held an impressive amount of power. The student stood before her, a crazed look in her eyes.

Bella hissed, upper lip pulling over her teeth, a low snarl ripping from her throat.

Meena took a step back, feeling slightly off-balance.

Did that girl just _snarl _at her?

Bella narrowed her eyes, rigid with irritation.

"What do you want?" She growled, voice low.

Meena pressed her lips together, giving no answer. She could hardly say "to kill you and take away your magic."

"Well," she countered, "What do _you_ want? Did you just kill that teacher?"

Bella ignored the girl's trivial questions, taking a step forward. She let the professor's lifeless corpse drop to the ground.

Shaking her head, she gave a malicious grin, and lunged for the girl.

No amount of parlour tricks could stand up to the rage of a powerful vampire.

---

Meena fell back against the wall, her head snapping back as Bella came at her. Little fireworks erupted in front of her vision. What was going on? Why was the girl attacking her unprovoked?

Next thing she knew, the girl had her neck between her teeth and seemed about to break it.

Well then. Bella was obviously more powerful that the stone had given her credit for being.

With a thought, Meena had become insubstantial, invisible. She drifted away from Bella's useless grip and contemplated, wondering whether or not to kill her then and there.

Of course, the obvious answer was not to- the victim had to be feeling _fear_ for their magic to be increased.

Before the thought had fully formed, a blazing inferno had appeared around Bella.

Meena reappeared and examined her handiwork.

---

"Impressive," Bella spat, barring her teeth in anger. She jumped high into the air, shooting forwards, leaping over the dancing flames. Glaring, she landed firmly, completely unscathed.

One swift movement and she was inches away from the girl's neck, eyes venomous. Her teeth flashed with ferocity. "But you're still gonna die."

***

Meena gaped slightly when Bella escaped unharmed, but refused to let herself be intimidated again.

Her classmate would be fast enough to dodge obstacles, and was strong enough to get away from bonds. What could she do?

Bella leapt at her with unnatural speed. Meena had no time to do anything except throw her Power forward. This time, it became a sonic boom that shook the walls and drove Bella back.

Meena took the opportunity to disapparate, reappearing in the potions cabinet among bottles of potions.

---

Bella blinked, her rage growing stronger. The girl appeared to have disappeared, nothing but air in tight grasp. She shook her head, moving around the flames, senses elevated.

"Hiding will do no good," Bella muttered, entering the darkened dungeon. She could hear the girl's heartbeat, pulsing steadily, blood flowing through the student's veins. "Your death is inevitable."

---

Meena's eyes widened in surprise when Bella found her after a few seconds, the cabinet doors wrenched off their hinges as the other girl's furious face appeared in the gap.

She was about to disapparate again, but fury of her own began to pound through her.

_Why was she running away?_ she thought to herself savagely.

Meena tried to think of something she could do to instantly kill this beast, but came up blank. Next time, she would be better prepared.

Bella leapt at Meena with terrifying grace.

Assuming, of course, there was a next time.

"No!" Meena shouted at her enemy. "I will not die like this!"

She drew back her arm and unleashed bolt after bolt of pure Power at the girl. They drove her back, sure- but they did not instantly incinerate her as they should have.

Meena gave a cry of frustration. She could not kill the girl! Short of using all her power and killing herself in the process, there was nothing she could do!

Suddenly, she spotted the body of the teacher. _He had magic._ In life, it had been a considerable amount- in death, it had seeped away. But there was still some left. Meena hoped it was enough.

She disapparated and reappeared by the Professor's side, where she sucked at the magic as if she were drinking at a well after a month in the desert.

---

Bella cried out with rage, seeing how Meena had disappeared, once again. It was incredibly frustrating, for she had never expected to be equally matched, especially in combat. And by a _human_, nonetheless.

But it was apparent that the girl wasn't entirely normal, having felt the strength behind her sudden burst of magic.

"Get away!" Bella shrieked. Listening for her victim's heartbeat, she had found Meena outside the dungeon, looming over the professor's lifeless corpse. She appeared to be taking something from the blood ridden body, expression wild with desire. "His blood is mine!"


	26. Rampages, Suicides, Time Travel: Part 9

Meena sat back. "His _blood_? What on Earth would I want with his _blood_?"

Bella laughed, harsh tone echoing off the stone walls.

"You tell me. _You're_ the one who's bent over _my_ prey."

Meena shook her head in confusion.

"Why-"

She stopped.

How stupid was she? This was a _magic_ school. And this... person... wanted _blood._

"Vampire," she hissed softly.

Bella gave a vicious grin, teeth flashing with ferocity. "Yes." Then she paused, the corners of her lips turning downwards. "And what are _you_, exactly?"

The question caught Meena more off guard than it should have.

"Human, of course," she said. But there was a strong uncertain tone there.

_Was_ she still human?

She pushed the thought away and kept talking.

"Well, we don't have to fight. You can take the blood, and I can..."

She stopped, an idea occurring to her.

"In fact... we could work this to our advantage..."

"How so?" Bella hissed, taking a step forwards. She was still on edge, her penetrating stare suspicious.

"Well, we're both after different things... you want the blood, and I was the... the magic," said Meena.

Bella pursed her lips in concentration.

"I suppose we could come to an agreement." Her anger slowly fading, she strode towards the professor's mangled corpse, glaring at Meena.

Meena waited for the question that was sure to follow the pause before "magic," but it didn't come.

"Right," she said, feeling a bit more awkward than she would have liked. "Well, I've drained him, so you can... drink... now."

She retreated, still a bit suspicious. She couldn't be blamed- they had been trying to kill each other a minute ago.

Bella gave a slight nod, still slightly hesitant. It was strange, meeting an agreement with her prey, the girl she had planned on killing.

Sinking her teeth into the professor's neck, she began to drink, his warm blood filling her mouth.

Meena looked away, as much from disgust as to give the girl some privacy.

The castle was still quiet.

Would there be anyone left to kill?

***

Ron crept around the empty halls.

This was _beyond_ weird. He had never seen Hogwarts so empty... no ghosts, no students, no teachers... not even a poltergeist to break the dreary silence.

Harry's body was still upstairs. Ron tried to forget the awful sight, but it slipped into his thoughts no matter what he did.

So he finally stopped putting off the inevitable, and returned upstairs to the common room.

Nobody but him would witness the burial of The Boy Who (formerly) Lived.

***

Nancy sniffed once, looking at her reflection. As upset as she was, she really needed to do something about her beard. After all, she still needed to keep up her appearance.

Still clutching her now barely-bleeding arm, she shuffled up to the front door. It was locked. And no doorbell. She reached up with her good hand and knocked as loudly as she could.

***

With a groan, Pip pulled himself out of his cozy bed. As much as he wanted to sleep in on this chilly, blustery day, he had a few errands to run before the guests arrived. He wanted to show everyone just how organised and gentlemanly he could be. He pulled on a warm but stylish jacket, put on a hat, and set off outside. He stepped carefully- the dirty slush covering the London streets might ruin his fancy shoes. The wind made a strong attempt to swipe Pip's hat as he strode to the nearby grocer, but Pip clung to it fiercely.

"Sir! -Excuse me- Sir!"

A young boy ran up to me. He had dirt on his face, and his little hands were already coarse from work.

"What is it, boy?" Pip asked him. How dare such a common boy have the audacity to approach him like that?

"Sir," the boy panted, "A letter for Phillip Pirrip."

"That is me" Pip informed him grandly.

The boy passed the letter to Pip with his little grubby hands, then stood still, staring expectantly at Pip.

"I suppose you want a tip," Pip muttered. The boy nodded. "Very well then. Here you go- be off now, will you?"

The boy snatched the coin and ran off. Pip glanced at the letter. It seemed interesting enough. He broke the seal.

_Dear Mr Pirrip, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry summer camp. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore _

_Headmaster_

Pip chuckled quietly. It was a bit late for a summer camp. As if to agree, the biting wind, in a sudden gust, snatched Pip's hat and flung it into the slush.

As Pip bent down to pick it up, muttering, another strong gust blew past. Strangely, it didn't seem to be as chilly as the others. Then another passed by, and it was nearly warm. Odd. Pip glanced up and let out a shout. He was no longer in London, unless London was a large forest filled with brightly coloured wildflowers and enormous trees that seemed to brush the sky. Where was the snow? Where was the traffic? The only reminder of where Pip had been was the letter in his hand.

***

Bella's attention snapped to the left, ears perking at the sound of knocking. Someone was tapping against a thick, wooden door a few floors away. Vibrations from the hinges shuddered along the tiles, feathery echoes hitting the walls.

"I believe we have visitor," Bella gave a devious laugh, wiping the warm blood from her lips. She set the professor's body on the ground, and rose to her feet.

Meena stood up and hurried to catch up to Bella. She felt a small twinge of jealousy at the effortless grace of her new companion, but did her best to ignore it. She _was_ equal to the vampire.

Bella reached the door first and had it open within the blink of an eye. Nancy stood in the doorway, the late afternoon sun framing her.

Nancy looked up. It was one of the oddly beautiful people. And the other shy girl.

Um... hey," she said awkwardly. "I kind of injured myself... Could one of you help?"

Bella quickly licked her lips, senses ravenous with bloodlust. The girl's arm was splattered with red, still warm, only inches away from her clenched teeth.

"Why don't you come inside?" She motioned towards the Great Hall, voice dripping with sweetness. Smelling such a delicious, mouth-watering scent, Bella had to use all of her strength to keep her composure.

Nancy smiled, despite the pain in her arm, and complied. That girl seemed nice. Maybe they could be friends. At least she was pretty enough.

Nancy stepped over the threshold. Remembering that fear made the magic stronger, Meena smiled at the girl in the instant before she froze her in place.

While in the middle of smiling, Nancy froze. Not on purpose, she just did. What was going on?

She tried to turn her head to look around, but she couldn't. She was frozen.

Meena drew back her arm, preparing herself to unleash a jet of fire that would slowly roast Nancy to a char, but was interrupted midway by a barely visible blur leaping past her and at Nancy.

Unable to control her bloodlust any longer, Bella had attacked.

Before Meena could move, it was over. Nancy was splattered across the opposite wall, Bella sucking at the blood with more than a little craze in her eyes.

Meena stood her ground for a few seconds, as if to try and prove to herself that she wasn't as desperate as Bella, then gave in, joining Bella and Nancy's side.

***

Ron flung the last shovelful of grave dirt over his shoulder and leaned against a tree, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He had, on impulse, dug Harry's grave by hand. It felt like the right thing to do. It was so much more just and noble than simply waving his wand... the sweat was that of effort put into respect, and the blisters on his palms reminded him of Harry's good qualities... yes, from now on, he would nobly dig the graves for everyone in Hogwarts.

Ron rolled Harry's body into the grave and looked up.

He saw Dumbledore's body. And the bodies of various cats. And a yellow lightning-dog. And, a bit farther off, a black-armoured man.

"Screw this," he muttered, throwing down the shovel and apparating away, all sense of noble-ness abandoned.

***

Alice watched the sky, her frown deepening. She had studied omens before, having wondered if such knowledge would be of any use. But never had she imagined stumbling upon the worst of them all... death.

Breaking into a run, she flew towards the school, set on warning her family.

***

Pip glanced around at his new surroundings, confused. He felt ill-at-ease. He had been in forests before, but this one was different. It felt...wrong. The trees seemed more… _alive_… than the ones he was used to. Other than the swish of leaves in the gentle breeze, the forest was oddly silent. Seemingly peaceful, but there was something dark about the forest that gave Pip the collywobbles.

Although unsure of where he was, Pip began striding quickly forward. He needed to find a way back to London.

A twig snapped in front of him. He jumped slightly at the sound. From behind a tree stepped a man. Pip found his face rather disturbing. He had slits rather than nostrils, and strangely shaped eyes. Perhaps he had an illness. Leprosy or the like. Taken aback for a moment, Pip then glared at the man for startling him.

"And you are?' He asked, a tad condescendingly.

"I am Voldemort," was the hissed reply.

What a weird name. This man certainly wasn't from anywhere respectable. No longer interested, Pip stepped around the man, and continued his journey for a few paces.

The man now behind him seemed to be muttering some sort of gibberish. Was he foreign? That might explain the odd face and name. A sudden flash of green light lit up the forest, and Pip fell to the ground, dead.

Even more tragically, his expensive suit was ruined by the mud on the forest floor.

***

The girl's blood was delicious.

Bella gritted her teeth, pulling away from the crimson splattered corpse. She had satisfied her thirst... but soon the fiery rage would return, sending her senses into overdrive.

Suddenly curious, she moved towards the doorway, stepping over the pools of red. Peculiar noises appeared to be coming from the forest.

---

Meena trailed behind Bella as she raised her nose and sniffed at the air.

"This way," she said- more to herself than to Meena, it seemed.

Meena shrugged and followed. They banked a hill and caught sight of the redhead, Ron, by a fresh grave.

Bella was onto him in a flash of deadly movement, but something warned Ron of her presence- he looked up just in time to disappear with a _crack_!

With a shout of fury, Bella switched courses, heading towards Hogwarts. Meena idly wondered why and took a few steps toward the school. She stopped when she felt her foot hit something, and looked down to see a hand poking out of freshly dug earth. She bent over and poked the hand with her finger... and swooned visibly.

The _magic_ in the hand! What strength!

Meena looked back at the hand, and back up to where Bella was ripping open the school doors.

A smile spread across her face.

***

Ron leaned against the doorframe, panting. It had, in fact, been lucky Dumbledore had died. The spells preventing people from apparating in the school grounds had died with him.

Not that he was particularly happy the headmaster was dead. After all, who would save him from the crazed girl outside?

Convinced she wouldn't be able to make it through the locked doors, he took a seat at one of the long table and looked around the empty hall.

That was his first mistake.

***

Bella tore open the front doors, exasperated by all of the students' magical abilities. Their disappearances were beginning to grow tiring, cowardly acts that caused her emotions to flare.

"There's no point in running," Bella growled, venomous tone echoing through the empty corridors. "You can't hide from me."

---

Ron gaped at the girl. She smiled at him, a sickeningly sweet leer without an iota of friendliness behind it.

Bella took a step forward.

"MOMMY!" sobbed Ron, stumbling backwards and catching his foot on the solid oak bench. He heard a sharp _crack_ come from his foot as bone twisted and gave way, and immediately gasped in pain and doubled over, watching Bella's form through tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous _crack_- like that he had heard come from his foot, only much, much louder. If he hadn't known better, he would have said it sounded like a diamond exploding.

But the next thing Ron knew was that he was lying on the flagstones, staring up at little bits of Bella embedded in the enchanted ceiling.

They were quite pretty, actually. The late afternoon sun made them sparkle and glitter.

"But who ever heard of flesh sparkling?" was Ron's last thought before he passed out.

***


	27. The Beginning and the End of the End

Meena felt the power surging through her, smiling with delight. How simple that had been! She had ended the feud between she and Bella without a second thought. What else could she do with this new magic? The possibilities were endless!

She saw Ron inside the Great Hall, his eyes round with fear and pain.

She could get _him_ later. Right now, she wanted to celebrate.

Meena transformed back into a raven and flew towards the forest, crowing loudly.

***

Alice skidded to a stop, eyeing the large castle in front of her. It loomed overhead, design shadowing the land, casting darkness against the tree-ridden terrace.

Taking a step towards the towering building, she flung open the doors, ready to warn her family. She strode into the grand hall... and froze in sheer disbelief.

No.

It wasn't possible.

Alice sank to her knees, having found Edward's lifeless body, lying on the tiled floor. She had arrived at the scene much too late. He was already long gone.

Giving a raw whimper, she kissed Edward's forehead, shoulders slumping in defeat.

Her world was being torn apart.

Ron got up slowly, using the table as leverage.

It was _another_ one of those unnaturally pretty people. He'd have to be really nice to her... they were dangerous, and he wouldn't be able to defend himself in this state... what could he say to-

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Ron heard himself say.

Where had _that_ come from?

Alice raised her eyes, still resting solemnly on her knees. She gave a quiet sigh, a sound of utter defeat.

"Alice Cullen," Whispering her name, she choked back a sob, unfazed by another student's presence. Edward was dead. Nothing else mattered.

Ron let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding.

"Yeah, I remember you- you made the stone glow a bit. So... this dead guy... he's your brother?" he said, remembering the last name they shared.

"Edward. Edward Cullen." Alice whispered her brother's name under her breath, repeating the words as if she was hearing them for the first time. Giving a slight whimper, she nodded. "Yes. He is -was- my brother."

Ron stood awkwardly for a second, trying not to put weight on his injured ankle.

"I... I'm sorry," he said. "How did it happen?"

He chose not to mention that her other sister was now embedded in the ceiling.

Alice bit her lip, trying to remain level-headed. "I-I don't know. I just came from the lake, and... I found him, here, on the ground. I wasn't able to help him. I-I wasn't able to stop-" Her words were cut off by a tearless sob, causing her body to shake. Dropping her head into her hands, she whispered, "I could have saved him."

Ron limped over to the girl and lowered himself down next to her, easing his injured leg out in front of him.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm sure he didn't die in vain." He took a deep breath as he thought of his friends- Harry, mangled and broken, and Hermione, missing, victim to an unknown fate.

"There have been lots of deaths in Hogwarts lately," he muttered.

Alice began to feel light-headed, her thoughts becoming a dizzying swarm. She swayed to the side, but one of the boy's words caused her to stiffen in alarm.

"Deaths?" Speaking the words aloud, she noticed how weak her voice was. "In the castle?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "Harry... and outside, there's Dumbledore and this yellow dog-thing..."

Alice frowned, causing her expression to darker ever more. "Do you know how... Harry died?" Lowering her voice to a whisper, she leaned closer. "If students are being killed, as well as the headmaster... Who, or what, is to blame?"

"It was murder, obviously," said Ron matter-of-factly. "Stab wounds. Which means it's not someone who's very good at magic. Or very subtle."

He looked at the girl again. Could it be _her_? She hardly _looked_ like a killer... the unnatural beauty was slightly dodgy, but it was beauty none the less...

"Stab wounds?" Alice whispered, passing a hand over Edward's forehead. She winced, feeling how much colder his skin was. "I- I don't think Edward could have been... stabbed. Something happened... something unnatural."

Ron gave a hollow laugh. "What's natural about anything here?" he said. He had grown accustomed to magic during his life, but these newcomers had made him look at things in a new way. "He may have been killed with Avada Kedavra- the killing curse. It leaves no marks. It's the... preferred way to do away with people once you know magic."

A small part of him acknowledged the fact that he was acting knowledgeable to impress the beautiful girl.

Alice looked away, feeling the slightest bit of life she had left drain from her soul. She glanced down at Edward's still form, taking his hand in hers. Pressing his lifeless fingers to her lips, she suppressed a sob, trying to remain composed.

"You seem to know a lot about magic," Alice sniffled, turning back to the red haired boy. She rubbed at her eyes, despite her lack of tears. "How long have you been at... this school?"

"Seven years," answered Ron. "And my parents are both wizards too. We've got a long history of magic-users."

He paused for a moment.

"And you? What's your family history?"

Alice looked at the tiled floor. "I-I don't know much about my past. It seems as though every time I try to remember, my mind becomes dark. I lived in Forks with my family, but..." She let out a strangled sob. "...something happened to them... during the explosion."

"Oh," said Ron, thinking back to the explosion where it seemed likely Hermione had met her fate.

There was silence.

"H-has anyone is your family ever died?" Alice whimpered, moving closer to the red haired boy. The look of sympathy on his face gave her a burst of hope, warm feelings that threatened to tear the dark ones apart.

"I-" said Ron, distracted by her closeness. He swallowed, and tried again. "My brother. He died fighting Voldemort." He gave a nervous titter. "Not that you know who he is..."

She was watching him intently. Her butterscotch eyes shone with an intensity that was not human. But Ron couldn't care less. They leaned towards each other, and Ron banished all thought of Hermione to the back of his head as he went for the kiss.

Alice was suddenly overwhelmed, gazing deep into the red haired boy's brilliant eyes. It was as though she was lost in emotion, thoughts utterly insignificant.

Batting her eyelashes, she began to watch his lips, moving closer every second. She could almost taste them against hers, sending icy shivers down her spine.

Without hesitation, Alice tilted her head, leaning in.

---

Finally, Voldemort arrived at the entrance to the school. This was Hogwarts' last hour. He took a moment to celebrate with a happy dance before dramatically opening the doors with a crash. The sound echoed through the strangely empty halls. Where was everyone? Voldemort thought for a moment, then decided that they were probably all in the main hall. Again, he sent the doors flying open. The room was nearly empty- there were just two students, abnormally close to one another. One looked oddly familiar...

"Why hello there, Miss Cullen," Voldemort hissed, an evil smile twisting his features. He brought up his wand, chuckled once, and whispered the killing curse.

***

Powerful wings beating slowly, Dusk glided through the air, loving the simple feeling of flying free. Gently tilting to one side, he completed a graceful circle, and then swooped low, squeaking from the thrill. There was nothing better then flying through crisp, clean air, with the beautiful sun setting in the sky. He loved being a bat.

Up ahead he could clearly see a huge stone human building. It was probably the biggest he'd ever seen, with multiple towers pointing straight into the sky. He marvelled at its amazing architecture for a minute before deciding he'd like to have a closer look. Human buildings had always intrigued him.

Flying low, he glided past window after window of the spectacular structure, feeling impressed at the skill it must have taken to build it, especially since humans couldn't fly.

A sudden green flash from one of the windows nearly blinded him. It was a nice light, glowing beautifully. So pretty… It faded too soon.

Dusk grinned. Now everything was fuzzy! How amazing that light was. The stone wall in front of him looked all soft, especially around the edges. It looked almost like a big pillow! A nice, soft, comfy pillow…

SMACK.

The crushed body of Dusk drifted slowly to the ground.

***

Time seemed to stop for Ron as Alice fell from his arms, lifeless. He looked up at Voldemort, shaking with anger. How _dare_ he barge in and steal his last bit of happiness?

Ron pulled out his wand with trembling hands. "I fight for-" he began, planning on making a heroic speech before launching himself into battle. But then he thought of all the people he'd have to name as victims to the injustice of the world. Harry stabbed, Hermione missing, Dumbledore outside, Bella in the ceiling, Alice behind him, Edward somewhere close by, the random people in the Halifax Explosion, everyone else who had gone missing in Hogwarts, the yellow dog-thing that had a strange habit of reappearing in his thoughts...

Ron cleared his throat and tried again.

"I fight," he cried. "For justice!"

Ron winced. How cheesy. Ah well. As last words went, he could think of worse ones.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his ankle, he ran at Voldemort, preparing to duel to the death.

---

Voldemort glanced incredulously at the young boy. A Weasley, by the looks of it. He honestly thought he could take on the Lord of Darkness? He who must not be named?

The fool.

Voldemort spun to face the boy. His wand was already in the air, but he didn't feel like killing the boy. Not yet. He deserved to suffer for his impertinence.

"Crucio!" A flash of light lit up the room.

Ron fell to the ground, screaming in pain. A feeling of hopelessness covered him. How had he ever thought to kill Lord Voldemort? He was but a teenager, and Voldemort was so powerful...

"No!" he thought to himself fiercely, pushing the pain aside. "I will fight!"

He levered himself onto his elbows.

"Expelliarmus!" he gasped, pointing his wand at Voldemort.

Voldemort easily blocked the spell. The Weasley boy was distracted, and the spell was weak. Voldemort was a bit surprised that he had managed to make a spell at all in such pain. That was rare.

"Not good enough, boy," Voldemort said maliciously, increasing the strength of his spell on the boy. "You'll die, just like all of those cats, and that strange yellow mouse."

"It was a DOG!" cried Ron, throwing himself at Voldemort.

"Mouse!" Voldemort muttered back immaturely as he dodged the attack.

"Depulso!" he forced the boy to take a few steps back.

"Avis!" shouted Ron, saying the first spell that came to mind.

A flock of fluffy chickadees appeared in a perfect circle around Voldemort. They dove towards him and cuddled against his face and arms.

The Crucio curse lifted, Ron staggered back and shouted "Avada Kedavra!"

The flock of birds swarming Voldemort fell to the ground, dead. Why would the Weasley boy kill his own spell? He truly was foolish. It was time to put the boy out of his misery. Voldemort lifted his wand, beginning to murmur the killing curse.

"Avad-"

***

Meena pushed open the doors of the Great Hall. She froze for a second. What had happened during her absence? The girl was dead, the guy seemed about to be killed by a man cloaked in black... what was this?

"He's _my_ prey," she hissed under her breath. She took the incomplete spell from the man's wand and unravelled the complex web that would have killed the boy. Then she started to make her own spell...

***

Ron saw the girl again- the one who had saved him from Bella. She must be some sort of guardian, for even when Voldemort lowered his wand, no killing curse came out.

Or seemed to, anyways. Because he was suddenly granted knowledge- and he knew he was dying. Slower than the _Avada Kedavra_ should have been, that was for sure, but he was dying none the less.

Ron smiled widely. So he hadn't been saved- but he had been given a second chance! In his final moments, he could choose some _new_ last words, ones that would awe even Voldemort!

Ron knew he had seconds. He began to think quickly, closing his eyes in concentration...

And then it came to him. Not the perfect last words, but the answer to the mystery that had been haunting him for the past long hour. It was a small mystery, but one that was surely important... it was the name of the being that seemed to follow his thoughts everywhere. He had found it at last.

And so, with his dying breath, Ron uttered the following word:

"PikaCHU!"

***

Voldemort was outraged. How dare that girl steal his kill? True, the boy had ended up dead anyway, but somehow, that girl had stopped his curse. The only other one able to do that had been Harry Potter...

Voldemort stared furiously at the girl, then attempted a different spell.

"Confringo!" He waited for the girl to be blasted into little bits.

Meena laughed quietly as the spell encircled her. She let it rage against her for a few seconds, then unravelled it, absorbing the magic used to make it.

She took a step towards Voldemort. He had considerable power. She'd have to get closer to him to drain it.

Anticipating the wonderful flow of magic, she reached Voldemort's side.

She watched his red eyes widen in surprise as he realized his spell had no effect.

_Feel fear,_ she thought. _Then I can kill you._

"Magic doesn't affect me anymore," whispered Meena.

Voldemort was shocked. The girl was immune to magic? That was possible? He didn't think so, but, then again, the girl had stopped two of his powerful spells. Perhaps he could distract her, and find out her secret.

"Is that so?" He asked. "That sounds convenient. How did that happen?" He tried to force his face into an innocent expression.

Conveniently, the Gryffindor sword appeared on the table behind him. Voldemort tried not to look at it as he inched towards it.

"Was it painful to acquire?" He whispered, then grabbed the sword. In one swift movement, he rammed the sword into the girl's stomach.

---

Meena fell to her knees in front of the man. She scrambled to heal the wound, stop the lifeblood from seeping from the huge gash...

Too late. The world that had so recently seemed like an open book, ready to be conquered, now faded away to nothingness.

She felt the sword leave her as Voldemort drew it out to stab her a second time, this time in the neck. Just to be safe.

Meena gave a last dry sob, then she collapsed onto the cold flagstones, encircled in a pool of her own blood.

With all her power, she was still only human.

***

Voldemort dropped the sword with a dark laugh. Over. It was all over. The castle was absolutely silent except for the eerie howl of the wind through the empty hallways. Voldemort's laugh echoed through the castle. There was no reply.

With another malicious chuckle, Voldemort strode out of the Great Hall. Reminders of death were everywhere.

_Saw ever curious eye so strange a sight?—_

_Portent in little, assorted death and blight_

Voldemort kicked aside the corpse of the yellow mouse thing as he stepped outside. The scene outside of the castle was bleak. The pouring rain had turned all of the soil into mud, and corpses littered the ground. The sky had turned an eerie shade of red. Most of the forest surrounding the school had been destroyed, and the charred remains of the trees were scattered across the ground. The desolate view surrounding Voldemort satisfied him. All had been successful- he had finally accomplished his goal.

What was that goal? To show his father- his muggle father, who still thought that he was above wizards- that Voldemort was good enough, powerful enough, strong enough to do what no other had dared. Voldemort had shown his father just how powerful he could be, and so what if it was magic that had enabled him to do so? Magic was a part of him, something that his father had never realized. His muggle father… Voldemort spat on the ground. He would no longer think of that unworthy man. His father…

Voldemort sighed. Unwillingly he wished that just once, his father had accepted him. Accepted him despite his magic, despite his mother. Would things have turned out differently if he had? If his father had stayed to raise his own son, instead of abandoning him to an orphanage? Voldemort would never know, now. Tom Riddle Sr was dead. Voldemort had been forced to raise himself, and become strong on his own. And he had, too; he had practised his dark magic, and had even become an unregistered animagus to help him in his quest for power. Milou, the ever-faithful sidekick to Tintin, had been Voldemort all along. While Tintin travelled around the world, thinking he was some big hero, Milou was killing. It was so easy, too. Who would suspect an adorable white dog? Certainly not Tom Riddle Sr- that's what killed him in the end. Not Carlisle, or Jon, or the many, so many, that he had killed in his long existence.

Why? Why did it have to be like this? Even now, Voldemort felt the compulsion to prove himself to his father. Even now, Voldemort longed to show Tom that he wasn't his mother, wasn't weak and frightened. Why? Voldemort was filled with regret for his past, and longed to have had a past with just a little bit of happiness. Was that too much to ask for? Wasn't that what every person who had lived on that desolate planet once called Earth had longed for, strived for? So many questions now, and none that Voldemort could answer. He sat down on a fallen tree, and rested his head in his hands. Where was the happiness? Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of happiness when one accomplished their life's goal? Voldemort had been sure that he would be, if not happy, at least less empty. Instead, the feeling of emptiness had intensified, along with a passionate loneliness. There would be no joy anymore in this world. Any remaining traces had been destroyed. All had been in vain.

What now?

The question began repeating itself to Voldemort like a broken record.

What now? What now? What now? What now? What now? What now? What....

What was there to do now? All around, there was nothing but destruction and new and ancient tragedies. Horrible things had happened here....

Voldemort stood up and began running. He had to escape, to liberate himself from this nightmare. It was a nightmare, right? Terror filled Voldemort. What if it wasn't? He had to get away. But as he ran, more and more awful scenes flashed by him. Forests destroyed by fire. Cats brutally clawed to death. Beaches carved by enormous explosions, and covered in blood. Eventually, Voldemort had to stop. He was out of breath, gasping for air thick with the smell of death and agony. Where was the happiness? What now?

So many questions, and no answers. Where was Tom Riddle Sr? He could answer them, right? Voldemort's eyes darted around the area eagerly, looking for his father. Wait- Tom Riddle Sr was dead. He was dead like so many others, never to return. Voldemort pitied them. He would never die- dying was for the weak, and he couldn't be weak. What would his father think? His father the muggle... Voldemort broke into another run. His thoughts were locked in this circle, and he couldn't escape. How could one escape from an enemy, when the enemy was oneself? Where was the happiness?

Voldemort came to a stop again, far from where he had begun. In front of him were the faintly smoking remains of a bus that must have exploded some time ago. It was filled with corpses, corpses that still seemed to be awaiting the green light to continue on their journey.

Something inside of Voldemort snapped. He couldn't take it anymore! He would answer the question "What now?", because it was the only one he was capable of answering. What now? Nothing. Voldemort picked up a piece of shrapnel from the bus, and held it gently in his hands. "I'm sorry, father," he whispered, and drove it into his heart. He staggered for a moment, then collapsed, everything fading into purple.

_Quoth the raven, 'nevermore'_

Conclusion

_And so ends the Waste of Time._

Danji sat back from the computer, staring blankly at the screen.

"So what was the point of /that?/ she commented, looking around at the others.

Rachacha giggled quietly, recalling some funny moments from the story.

She collected herself, and looked at Danji, attempting to look serious. "Well," she said slowly. "Wasn't our goal to bring never-ending amusement to bored people everywhere?" she grinned. "I think we accomplished that."

Sophie was a bit confused. "Weren't we just doing it because _we_ were bored?" She asked. It didn't seem like a terribly important reason, but it was true enough.

Danji shrugged. "I forget... why did we start again?"

The Beginning had been many long months ago. So much time had passed, the memories becoming hazier with each passing day.

Thistle nodded, toying with the silver ring dangling around her neck. "I'm starting to forget some of the minor characters, ones that died in the beginning." She gave a darker-than-usual laugh, causing everyone to look her way.

"And that's another thing!" added Danji. "EVERYONE died! What was the POINT?"

Thistle cocked an eyebrow. "I think that _was_ the point. After an insanely large number of unfortunate events, everyone's favourite characters end up dying. It's quite tragic, really."

Danji began to exhale a sigh, but cut off abruptly.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "_Everyone _didn't die!"

Rachacha gave Danji a weird look. "So someone survived?" she asked. "Who?" Then she frowned, remembering. Why did Darth Vader have to die?

Thistle bit down on her lip, tilting her head. "Did we forget about... Professor Snape? No, no, he was killed by Bella. What about Rose? How did she die?"

"The explosion," answered Danji, irritated that Thistle had forgotten about such a crucial post. "Don't you guys remember? Think back to the beginning of the story!"

"Why did Vader have to die?!" Rachacha shouted randomly. "He's totally awesome and powerful and waaaay cooler then old Dumbledore any day! It's not fair!!" She burst into tears.

Sophie shrugged. She definitely preferred Dumbledore, but she didn't want to upset the already unstable Rachacha. Instead, she patted Rachacha on the back, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay," she whispered. "We only killed him in the story. It's okay..."

Returning to her spot on the couch, she tried to remember who hadn't been killed. Tintin had been hit on the ankle, the Warriors suffered various deaths, Carlisle had been killed by Milou, who had killed himself at the very end...

Sophie gave up.

"So, who is it?" she asked Danji.

Danji remained silent for a moment, enjoying the fact that, for once, she was the first to think of something.

"_Lupin_," she answered. "Lupin survived the _whole_ story!"

Rachacha stopped her loud and annoying sobs. Really? Lupin had survived?

"Well, we have to kill him, then," she stated seriously, taking on a whole new state of mind. Looking around, she asked "Who would like to do the honours?"

Thistle gaped at her friends for a moment, eyes wide. How could they have forgotten to kill _Lupin_? Danji had planned out the whole story, analyzing each and every detail... and yet, someone had- impossibly- evaded their plans.

"I'll do it!" Clapping her hands, Thistle reached for the keyboard, the shock wearing off. She let out a dark laugh, fingers typing away.

---

_Professor Lupin wandered the school grounds, searching for the headmaster. Hogwarts appeared to have been deserted, the hallways eerily empty, not a sound to be heard. He had been looking everywhere, failing in his quest to find another living being._

_Eyeing the sky precariously, Lupin darted into the Quidditch field, heading for the grand towers. Perhaps some of the students had taken cover from whatever it was that had driven the others off. _

_Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, followed by an ear-splitting crack as a bolt came out of the blue and hit the last survivor._

_Lupin crumpled, dead before he hit the ground._

---

Thistle grinned, eyes sparkling. "So, what do you think?"

Rachacha scrambled up to the computer to read what Thistle had written. "Perfect," she said, smiling, Darth Vader long forgotten. The story was finally complete.

Danji cried out in horror as Thistle killed Lupin.

"Not even _one_ survivor?" she said. The she sighed and shook her head slowly.

"Let's _never_ do this again- agreed?"

Rachacha smiled randomly at Danji. "Yeah..." she said slowly. Then, a genius idea struck her like lightning. "Next story's about Star Wars!" she squealed.

Thistle froze in horror.

"No!" She cried, shriek causing everyone to cover their ears. "No, no, no! No Star Wars!!!"

Sophie read the words on the screen, then shook her head.

"You used "precariously" in entirely the wrong context, Thistle," she sighed.

Danji laughed to herself.

"And some things never change."


End file.
